"That was the story of Vincent Lingiari

But this is the story of something much more

How power and privilege cannot move a people

Who know where they stand and stand in the law"

As Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly recounted in "From Little Things, Big Things Grow", the classic 1993 Indigenous Rights ballad, Gurindji Elder Vincent Lingiari chose to stand up for his community and seek justice in the face of unfairness and inequality. Lingiari was made to wait many years, but finally won when 3250 square kilometres of Gurindji country was returned to its traditional owners in August 1975 by Labour Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

The timeless picture by Merv Bishop of then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring the earth of Vincent's country into his hands became a symbol of not only land rights but our First Nations ongoing struggle for social justice. It was a symbol of talk being over and action being taken.

Whilst Australia's history, from colonisation to the present time, is scarred with deep injustices and tragedies, weaved through this history are also moments of incredible strength, courage, inspiration and vision.

As the world descends further into chaos, social disintegration, and violence every day, Australians this last weekend overwhelmingly chose to stand against fearmongering, disinformation, and conflict, and instead chose social cohesion as the way forward for our nation.

As the Labor party forms government and begins a new mandate, now is it's time to be bold and brave and act to demonstrate its commitment to a better, fairer, and more compassionate Australia.

The national mood has shifted, and Australians are signalling a demand for political courage in the face of mounting global uncertainty, and an end to the dangerous cultural wars, and an end to the influence of divisive forces that poison public discourse while preventing real change and transformative solutions to maintain the status quo serving vested interests.

Nowhere is this clearer than in Australia's place in the Pacific. For years, Australia has claimed to be part of the Pacific family. But in a region defined by climate-driven displacement, resource insecurity, and governance challenges, words are no longer enough. The region is looking for partnership, respect, and a genuine commitment to justice. The Pacific is now watching, whilst the country decides.

So as this government works through its forward agenda with a Prime Minister who prides himself in his commitment to social justice and importantly a policy and program approach that puts people first in our uniquely homegrown way:

· It is time for Australia to take responsibility to act on climate change including building with the Pacific - in hosting COP31, an ambitious path out of the world's nihilistic dependency on fossil fuels.

· It is time too to double down on Australia's commitment to our First Nations Peoples through not only practical reconciliation but real truth-telling and a pathway to treaty and voice as asked for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

· It is time to find a pathway to permanent settlement for the thousands of people who remain in ambiguity in making Australia home after more than a decade of waiting.

· It is time to restore and grow Australia's aid program as an example of Australia's commitment to seeing a region and a safer world for all.

As it has done in the past too, it is time for Australia to once again be a strong beacon of peace and a stalwart of the international human rights' rules-based order in the face and pressure of great power rivalry and competition in the interests of not only Australia, but our region and the world.

The time for talk is over, the time to act is now.

'Alopi Latukefu, Director of the Global Centre for Social Justice and Advocacy Leadership