“His reign in government, giving back land to the Gurindji people, made way for Aboriginal groups in Australia, especially the Kalkadoons,” Ms Dempsey said.

She said it was a gesture that spoke many languages when Mr Whitlam handed the Gurindji people at Wattie Creek, in the Northern Territory, title deeds to part of their traditional lands in 1975.

In 1994, the Kalkadoon people lodged a native title claim over their country across the Boulia, Mount Isa, McKinlay, Cloncurry and Carpentaria shires in North West Queensland.

Almost two decades later, on December 12, 2011, the Federal Court formally recognised the Kalkadoon people as the native title holders of nearly 40,000 square kilometres of land.

Ms Dempsey admitted that the native title determination would’ve been difficult had it not been for Mr Whitlam’s work for Aboriginal rights.

“He left a legacy that will live on and people will remember that,” she said.

Ms Dempsey said Mr Whitlam’s legacy allowed Aboriginal people to celebrate their uniqueness by claiming traditional land and giving them an opportunity to express their historic culture.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott last year declared his desire to be ‘‘a prime minister for indigenous affairs’’ but Ms Dempsey said it would be hard to top Mr Whitlam.

She said there was still a lot of work to in relation to protecting cultural sites for the Kalkadoon Community.