Canberra, Jan 5 (IANS): The Australian government said on Wednesday that it will build an indigenous cultural precinct in the nation's capital.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced 316.5 million Australian dollars (US $229.1 million) in funding for Ngurra, which translates to "home", "country" or "place of belonging" in various Aboriginal languages.

To be built in Canberra halfway between Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial, Ngurra will incorporate a learning centre and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), Xinhua news agency reported.

It will also become a national resting place to care for the ancestral remains of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

"Ngurra is the realization of a long-held desire to have a home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories at the heart of our nation," Morrison said in a statement.

"It will be a national landmark of the highest order, standing proudly for us all to celebrate, educate, reflect and commemorate."

A design competition for the precinct will begin but it is expected to be a lengthy process, with AIATSIS set to consult with the indigenous people about what needs to be included in the centre.

"Ngurra will provide a new perspective on our shared history, as a significant moment for truth-telling, and a new place where the diversity of Indigenous Australia and one of the world's oldest living cultures will be celebrated," Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said.