It was announced on the radio news last friday (10 December)
that the Queensland Government had rushed its legislative
response to the Mabo decision through State Parliament.
However, the Queensland Bill will not be signed by the State
Governor (and then become law) until the Commonwealth Native
Title Bill has been passed.
The Queensland Bill is said to be in line with the
Commonwealth Bill.
What about traditional mineral rights and the native title
rights of First Peoples with their living countries under
pastoral leasehold? What about the religious rights of visits
to sacred sites on pastoral and agricultural leasehold land?
Does the Queensland Bill, like the Commonwealth, legislatively
extinguish native title rights to land under Crown leasehold?
The details of the Queensland Bill were not widely reported in
the southern media. Can anyone in Queensland provide us with
more information?