That the Senate—

(a) notes, with sadness, the passing on 27 December 2002 at the age of 67, of Prince of Wales Midpul an Elder of the Larrakia people of the Darwin region, who was an exceptional dancer, didgeridoo player, songman, and artist;

(b) pays tribute to Midpul as one of the Northern Territory's most renowned artists, who was best known outside his community for his powerful, minimalist paintings, called `Body Marks', which depicted Larrakia body designs from the ceremonies, dances and songs for which he was one of the principal custodians;

(c) notes that Midpul only began painting in 1995-96, yet his works hang in many of Australia's foremost public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW, and he was the recipient of the Telstra Open Painting Award at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in 2001; and

(d) remembers Midpul's long struggle, along with other members of his family, to achieve land rights for the Larrakia people, including the successful land claims for Kulaluk and Kenbi, and thanks his family for their permission to refer to him by name in recognition of his outstanding achievements as an artist and community leader.