After 37 years of struggles and legal battles, the Kenbi land near Darwin, the capital city of Northern Territory in Australia, is officially handed back to its traditional owners, the Larrakia people, at a ceremony held in Darwin on Tuesday.

At the ceremony, which was live broadcast across Australia by the national broadcaster ABC, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull handed a symbolic document made of bark to the traditional owners.

"Today we formally recognise what Larrakia people have always known -- that this is Aboriginal land. That this is the lands of the Larrakia people," he said.

"I acknowledge that Larrakia people have cared for this country for tens of thousands of years. That your songs have been sung since time out of mind and those songs have held and passed on the knowledge of your customs, your traditions, your lore and I pay my deepest respects to you and your elders past and present."

Traditional owners were overwhelmed by bittersweet sentiment. One of the traditional owners, Zoe Singh, told the ABC that she is "happy, overwhelmed, but sad at the same time because our elders aren't here to see this."

Turnbull said the day marks a historic day in the settlement of one of the most complex and protracted land claims in the history of the Land Rights Act.

The Kenbi claim, which covers most of Cox Peninsula -- 130 kilometers by road and 10 kilometers by ferry from Darwin -- was the longest-running Aboriginal land claim case in Australia's history.

The case, officially lodged in 1979, went on to be the subject of two extensive hearings, three Federal Court reviews, two High Court appeals and much division among the local Aboriginal people, who have disputed who had the right to claim ownership.

Finally, Justice Peter Gray found in 2000 that there were six persons recognized as Traditional Owners.

The prime minister hailed the achievements made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and vowed to continue to address the challenges, including closing the gap in health and social outcomes.

Turnbull said in this upcoming election, there are at least 12 candidates from across all political parties who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander seeking a position in the Federal Parliament.

If six or seven of those candidates are successful, he said, Australia will have parity in the federal parliament -- that is, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders will be represented in the parliament as they are in the population.