BLACKS ACCUSE PM OF BETRAYAL.
by Gay Alcorn
and Paul Chamberlin
Aboriginal groups accuses the Prime Minister of betrayal
yesterday after he endorsed a Northern Territory bill which
they claim will extinguish their native title over the giant
McArthur River mine in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The bill, introduced into the NT Parliament yesterday, is the
first effective move in Australia to prevent a Mabo-style
claim over a mining project and guarantee the validity of
existing mining title.
It also pre-empts a Federal consultation between all
governments, the mining and petroleum industry, pastoralists
and Aboriginal groups, which is looking at finding a consensus
on questions raised by the High Court's Mabo decision,
including native title.
The Federal Government was arguing strenuously last night that
the NT bill leaves open the question of native title, and
allows for compensation to be paid to blacks able to prove
rights to land.
The Special Minister of State, Mr Frank Walker, in a letter to
the NT Government on Wednesday, asked the NT to proceed with
the legislation because of the economic importance of the
project. The letter, endorsed by a letter from Mr Keating,
also said the Commonwealth would legislate if necessary to
validate the NT's legislation and would pay the legal costs if
it was challenged in court.
A previous letter from Mr Keating dated May 25 expressed
doubts about the NT's plans, saying the preferred Commonwealth
position was to suspend native title and for it to be
"revived" after the mining lease expired. (!!!!)
That was unacceptable to the NT Government, said the Chief
Minister, Mr marshall Perron.
A spokesman for the Northern Land Council, Mr Wes Millar, said
the NT legislation was a "bombshell", but said it was too
early to reconsider support for the Prime Minister's moves
towards reconciliation.
"It goes contrary to the mainstream of political thought at
the moment," Mr Millar said.
"It's not what Keating's been saying publicly about making
peace with Aboriginal people and (Mabo being) a starting point
for the reconciliation process. It appears to be flying in the
face of that, it's out of step."
Mr Millar added: "We'd be perfectly entitled to feel betrayed
because you'd have to wonder why we went through this
negotiation process and whether or not it had been a farce all
along."
The NLC will hold meetings with the local Aboriginal community
at Borroloola next week before deciding whether to challenge
the proposed law in court.
Mr Perron said the bill reissued the mining leases at McArthur
River - said to be the biggest zinc, lead and silver mine in
the world - to avoid any doubt as to their validity.
He said the project, managed by Mount Isa Mines Ltd with four
Japanese partners, was at a critical stage. the partners had
warned that unless there was certainty of title by July 1, the
project would be delayed indefinitely.
Mr Perron said that if native title was found to exist at
McArthur River, Aborigines would be entitled to compensation
through the NT Supreme Court, although who would pay was yet
to be decided.
MIM's Territory manager, Mr Peter Freund, said the McArthur
River mine would bring annual export benefits of $200 million
as well as hundreds of jobs.
(ends)