Amid ongoing discourse about the relevance of Welcomes to Country, Dr Richard Fejo wants to set the record straight.
"We're not welcoming you to Australia, because we don't own all of Australia," the Larrakia Traditional Owner told NITV News.
"Larrakia land for example is a 50km radius from Darwin, that's the only place I can welcome you to."
Dr Richard Fejo is a familiar face across the Top End of the Northern Territory.
He is best known for his passionate Welcomes to County at major events throughout the year on Australia Day, ANZAC day, and the annual AFL Indigenous Round.
"From a Traditional Owners perspective, a Welcome to Country is an invitation for you to join our community, for our ancestors to embrace you on our land," Dr Fejo said.
A political football
The Welcome to Country ceremony and the defeated Voice to Parliament referendum have dominated the final days of the Federal Election campaign.
It comes after booing disrupted an ANZAC Day Welcome to Country ceremony in Melbourne.
In the aftermath, Peter Dutton — the leader of the Liberal opposition vying to be the next Prime Minister — said Welcome to Country ceremonies are "overdone" and shouldn't be performed at sporting games or military commemorations.
Dr Richard Fejo has labelled those comments "a desperate reach for votes".
"It's an attempt to turn people against First Nations people and it's happened every year since I can remember," Dr Fejo said.
On Wednesday Labor's Foreign Minister Penny Wong walked back comments made on the Beetoota Advocate podcast where she said the proposal for an Indigenous advisory body may in future be viewed in a similar way to the long campaign for same-sex marriage.
Speaking to SBS News on Wednesday, Minister Wong clarified: "The Voice is gone."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has since accused Labor of pushing a “secret plan to legislate the Voice”.
Dr Richard Fejo expressed frustration as he described First Nations people were being used as a political football in the final days of the campaign.
"We are a political football, we know we are a political football, we're tired of being a political football," Dr Fejo said.
Key issues missing from the campaign
As Federal Election campaigning draws to a close and Australians ready to cast their vote on May 3rd, Dr Fejo says there is still a lack of clear policy proposals towards addressing the disadvantage he sees every day in his community.
"When we talk about Closing the Gap, these are the real challenges we need to return to," Dr Fejo said.
"What I would ask the politicians is what are they going to do to address our inefficiencies?"
"The inaction of Governments to come and Close the Gap is our suffering as First Nations people. This needs to change and it needs to change yesterday."
