"Labor to fight Wik title 'theft'."
by Jodie Brough
in Canberra
"The Opposition pledged to oppose the Government's draft amendments to
the Native Title Act yesterday as Aboriginal leaders accused the
Coalition of being 'intent on completing the final theft of land' from
Aborigines.
After a briefing on the legislation, to be publicly released today, the
Opposition's Aboriginal affairs spokesman, Mr Daryl Melham, accused the
Government of 'gutting' Aborigines' right to negotiate over land
subject to claim.
Mr Melham foreshadowed a major Senate battle over the issue, saying the
legislation was discriminatory, unbalanced and 'negative to Aboriginal
people'.
"It explodes the myth that the Prime Minister has propagated that he
would be fair," Mr Melham said. "Some of the points offend such basic
principles there's no way we could support them."
The National Indigenous Working Group on Native Title declared that the
right to negotiate had been rendered 'meaningless' ofter being shown the
detailed legislation by the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Secretary,
Senator Nick Minchin.
The working group said the legislation would 'cater to the rights of
every party except those of potential native title holders' and called
on the Senate to oppose it.
Working group member Mr Peter Yu, of the Kimberley Land Council, said
the Government wanted to go beyond the High Court's Mabo and Wik
decisions in reducing Aboriginal rights.
"The draft bill ignores any recognition and reduces our customary law
rights to that of irrelevance and that equated to other freehold title
holders in this country," he said.
Senator Minchin said the working group's response was 'a disappointing
overreaction'.
"The Government believes in equality and justice for all landholders,"
he said. "The 10-point plan is a fair and reasonable balance of all the
various interests involved in dealing with Wik decision."
End of article.