The federal government has announced it will build a $316.5 million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural precinct on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra.
The precinct, to be named “Ngurra,” will be located at Commonwealth Place in the Parliamentary Triangle, designed in 2002 by Durbach Block (now Durbach Block Jaggers) and Sue Barnsley Design. The site is located on King Edward Terrace, in front of Reconciliation Place, between the National Portrait Gallery and Questacon.
The government will hold an architectural design competition for the precinct and the structures within it “to develop an iconic design fitting for the location and that reflects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ aspirations, achievements and deep connection to Country.”
An independent jury will judge entries and make recommendations to the government. Further details of the competition will be published in February 2022.
“Ngurra is the realization of a long-held desire to have a home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories at the heart of our nation,” said the Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
“It will be a national landmark of the highest order, standing proudly for us all to celebrate, educate, reflect and commemorate.
“This new world-class facility will contribute to our continuing journey of reconciliation, where Indigenous Australians can tell their stories, in the way they want, for all visitors to have a greater understanding of our shared history.”
The precinct will be made up of two parts. First, a learning and knowledge centre with education, exhibition, and gallery spaces that will tell the stories of 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. And second, the new home of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. The precinct will also accommodate a national resting place to house and care for the repatriated ancestral remains of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The word Ngurra is used in a number of Aboriginal languages to mean home, camp, a place of belonging and a place of inclusion.
“Ngurra will provide a new perspective on our shared history, as a significant moment for truth-telling, and a new place where the diversity of Indigenous Australia and one of the world’s oldest living cultures will be celebrated,” said minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt.
“At its heart will be a national resting place where the remains of Indigenous Australians taken from their country will be cared for until they are able to be returned to their communities.”
“And in instances where provenance has been forgotten or erased, they will be cared for in perpetuity with dignity and respect.”
Ngurra will complement existing institutions within the Parliamentary Triangle, including the Tent Embassy, National Library of Australia, Questacon, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Australia, and the High Court of Australia.
