Proponents of the Uluru Statement from the Heart have cautioned the prime minister against rescinding his promise to enact a Makarrata Commision, following his appearance at Garma over the weekend.
Following the defeat of the Voice to Parliament at referendum last October, expectations were high that this year's festival would provide some clarity on the path forward for the Statement's two remaining pillars, truth and treaty.
However, Mr Albanese appeared to walk back Labor's commitment to a commission as the engine of a federal truth and treaty process, instead focussing on the literal meaning of the Yolngu Matha word.
“That’s not what we have proposed," the prime minister told the ABC in response to the question of a commission.
"What we’ve proposed is makarrata just being the idea of coming together ... Obviously, there has been a struggle for First Nations people.
“That’s why we talk about closing the gap, or what is really a chasm in some areas. And coming together is a principle of walking together – that engagement."
Pressed at a media stop on Sunday on whether the government had redefined its commitment to a commission, the prime minister replied, "no".
However those reassurances fell short in assuaging the fears of the Statement's supporters.
Speaking from Gulkala, the Yolngu home of Garma, Yingiya Mark Guyula, an Independent in the Nothern Territory's Legislative Assembly who has long called for a commission, condemned the shift.
"We are not happy. My people and I are not happy that there was no mention about the Makarrata [Commission] in his speeches here," the Liya-dhälinymirr Djambarrpuyŋu man said.
"He needs to come back and say he needs to work on the Makaratta ... He’s just passing the buck."
The theme for this year's festival was 'Gurtha-Wuma Worrk-gu' (fire, strength, renewal), a reference to the growth that comes after cleansing fire and rain.
Though Mr Albanese's commitment to the Voice referendum in the face of bad polls and likely defeat was praised at Garma, Mr Guyula said the prime minister had wavered in the face of the new challenge.
"He won't walk through the fire. We wanted the prime minister to step his foot on the ground, like the people at the discipline ceremony," he said, referring to the girri kirrii undertaken by the NT's police commissioner following his apology on Saturday.
On Monday, newly-appointed Indigenous Australians minister Malarndirri McCarthy pushed back on the suggestion the prime minister's words amounted to a change of heart.
"I was at Gulkula in Arnhem Land beside the prime minister, that's clearly not what I heard," the Yanyuwa woman told the ABC.
"He certainly gave very strong principle support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart."
The apparent mixed messaging has caused consternation amongst key architects of the Uluru Statement.
Uluru Dialogue Co-Chair, Pat Anderson AO, said the prime minister's comments were "confusing".
"Is he rolling back on the Labor election commitment to the Makaratta Commission? [It] is not a vague vibe or a series of casual conversations. The Makarrata called for in the Uluru Statement is a bricks and mortar body and it was a clear election promise."
