Antinuclear

Aboriginal leaders meet in Broome

Leaders unite to finish the land rights battle THE AUSTRALIAN, Natasha Robinson
MAY 20, 2015 Aboriginal leaders from across the country have pledged to forge a new path to lift their people out of poverty and dependence, placing property rights at the centre of a national empowerment agenda that would shuck off the bureaucratic constraints threatening to reverse the gains of land rights and native title.

A historic meeting of more than 40 indigenous leaders in Broome yesterday heard that the enactment of land rights and native title legislation represented the “high point” of Aboriginal rights in ­recent decades, with those rights relentlessly undermined ever since by policies that had failed to afford indigenous people a true stake in policy and enterprise.

The roundtable was notable for its close co-operation between political warriors from the land rights era and conservative figures, with a remarkable level of agreement ­between the Left and the Right.

Reconciliation icon Patrick Dodson, hosting the event on Yawuru land, said the fight for true control over property and local economies was the “common backbone” of today’s Aboriginal rights movement.“Many of the gains that we thought we’d made … are now being undermined and dissipated,” Mr Dodson said. “We have a lot more in common than we have that divides us.

“None of us have got the silver bullet or the single answer, but we’re all searching for the best interests for the indigenous ­peoples, not just our own groups, but across Australia.”…….

The roundtable was attended by more than 40 indigenous leaders from across the country, including Cape York leader Noel Pearson, Northern Land Council chief executive Joe Morrison, chief executive of the Aboriginal charitable trust KRED Enter­prises Wayne Bergmann, North Australian Land and Sea Management Alliance chief executive Melissa George, Carpentaria Land Council director Murrandoo Yanner, National Native Title Tribunal president Raelene Webb and North Australia Land and Sea Management Alliance chairman Peter Yu. Mr Pearson said the initiation of the roundtable by Mr Gooda and Mr Wilson had “brought a really fresh angle” to discussions of economic development that were often divided along ideological lines……..

In cases where native title was extinguished, compensation was next to impossible for commun­ities to obtain, the meeting heard. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/leaders-unite-to-finish-the-land-rights-battle/story-fn9hm1pm-1227360833594

May 20, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | aboriginal issues, AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL