Mr LUGG - 1997-12-04
What are the possible ramifications for Territorians from this week’s amendments to the federal governments 10-point Wik plan, as put forward by Senator Harradine and passed by the Labor Party, the Democrats and the Greens in the Senate?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this must be one of the most vitally important issues facing Australia at present. One of the great disappointments of these sittings has been that we have not had the opportunity to ventilate what has been happening in Canberra. The amendments that have been forced by the independents and the Greens have delivered a very bad outcome. Obviously, the member for Nelson has been following the debate in the Senate closely. I do not doubt that other Territorians have also been following this debate and share his concern.
The amendments provide that native title claimants need only assert their right - in other words, simply make a bland claim - rather than prove native title. As I said at the time, that is an absolute disgrace. Any other Australian who wants to assert a claim or a right has to go through a process of proof. That has now been thrown out the window.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem is in this Chamber with an agenda all of his own. He is a former executive director of the Northern Land Council. We know what tune he dances to, even though he sits there with the Labor Party. He seeks the reinsertion of the right to negotiate. For the benefit of Territorians listening to this broadcast, the right to negotiate is the economic leverage that is used by claimants - particularly by spurious claimants who have no intention, let alone any capacity, to prove a native title claim - to try to wring every dollar and every concession.
The right to negotiate is rather like the Mafioso
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going into Brooklyn, New York, with handguns. They do not actually shoot anyone, but they have the threat. That is what the right to negotiate is - the threat that, if we do not dance to the claimants’ tune, they will frustrate our development and complicate what we are attempting to do. We have already lost important developments in the Territory. We lost the prawn farm on the Blackmore River. The developer came to the government and said that he could not take any more of it. He said that he did not have limitless funds to pay these people. He was not prepared to enter into an arrangement whereby he had to pay $200 000 cash, give guarantees of employment and provide the claimants with the option to buy back in the event that he did not proceed with the project.
Members opposite have learned nothing. They sit there and they support the right to negotiate.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: You do, don’t you? You support the right to negotiate.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Can we hear it? Let Territorians know where you stand. The member for Fannie Bay said yes. In supporting the right to negotiate, they are signing away development and the future of the Territory. The Labor Party even supported the claims over the port. We are talking about reclamation, we are talking about landfill, and members opposite stood up and supported it - members opposite, the same people who supported the claims over Cullen Bay and Bayview Haven.
I saw Kim Beazley on television, pooh-poohing any notion that a person’s backyard or business is at risk. This is the same man who said, as Deputy Prime Minister: ‘Don’t worry about pastoral leases. They extinguish native title. Trust me’. There he was on television only 4 or 5 years after the event, saying: ‘My fellow Australians, freehold title extinguishes native title. Trust me’. Well, I do not trust him. I have been through the whole process before, with pastoral leases, and they were supposed to extinguish native title.
A review of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act is occurring at the moment. The member for Arnhem spoke about that in an adjournment debate. I have now come into possession of the material that is being hawked around in Aboriginal communities, and I shall table it. I can tell from the look on the member for Arnhem’s face that he is probably aware of the lies that are contained in it - the lies by Galarrwuy Yunupingu that this government will take land off Aboriginal people. That is not what that review is all about. And they talk about reconciliation! I urge every member of this Assembly to watch this tape, and to see the lies that are trotted out by this fraud, this man who masquerades as the chairman of the Northern Land Council and claims to care for his people. He does not care for his people. He cares for himself. What he fears ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: ... is that the large land councils - and they are being defended by the Leader of the Opposition. She backs the NLC and the CLC. She is in there with her mates, Tracker Tilmouth and Yunupingu.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, please resume your seat. Chief Minister, you are being far too provocative, you know that ...
Mr Stone: I haven’t got going yet!
Madam SPEAKER: ... and members are being sucked in. Stop overreacting. Chief Minister, you have been on your feet for quite some time. I think you should wind up your answer.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition and member for Stuart, I note your continued interjections.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Don’t answer back, thank you. Just keep your interjections short.
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, I will conclude my answer by tabling this scurrilous and disgraceful information. Later, in the course ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Arnhem.
Mrs Hickey: I am trying hard to keep a straight
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face, Shane.
Mr STONE: It contains scurrilous, derogatory information. It contains lies. It is certainly not conducive to reconciliation.
Meanwhile, it has come to our attention that the native title claim in Alice Springs now encompasses the clubhouse at the Alice Springs golf course. When will members opposite stand up for all Territorians rather than the sectional interests that the Labor Party has such a track record for representing?
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr STONE: Yes, they have claimed the golf club now.
Madam Speaker, I table the tape and the associated material. I will provide a transcript of Mr Yunipingu’s comments later in the day to enable all members to read them.
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ANSWER
Madam Speaker, this must be one of the most vitally important issues facing Australia at present. One of the great disappointments of these sittings has been that we have not had the opportunity to ventilate what has been happening in Canberra. The amendments that have been forced by the independents and the Greens have delivered a very bad outcome. Obviously, the member for Nelson has been following the debate in the Senate closely. I do not doubt that other Territorians have also been following this debate and share his concern.
The amendments provide that native title claimants need only assert their right - in other words, simply make a bland claim - rather than prove native title. As I said at the time, that is an absolute disgrace. Any other Australian who wants to assert a claim or a right has to go through a process of proof. That has now been thrown out the window.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem is in this Chamber with an agenda all of his own. He is a former executive director of the Northern Land Council. We know what tune he dances to, even though he sits there with the Labor Party. He seeks the reinsertion of the right to negotiate. For the benefit of Territorians listening to this broadcast, the right to negotiate is the economic leverage that is used by claimants - particularly by spurious claimants who have no intention, let alone any capacity, to prove a native title claim - to try to wring every dollar and every concession.
The right to negotiate is rather like the Mafioso
Page 69
going into Brooklyn, New York, with handguns. They do not actually shoot anyone, but they have the threat. That is what the right to negotiate is - the threat that, if we do not dance to the claimants’ tune, they will frustrate our development and complicate what we are attempting to do. We have already lost important developments in the Territory. We lost the prawn farm on the Blackmore River. The developer came to the government and said that he could not take any more of it. He said that he did not have limitless funds to pay these people. He was not prepared to enter into an arrangement whereby he had to pay $200 000 cash, give guarantees of employment and provide the claimants with the option to buy back in the event that he did not proceed with the project.
Members opposite have learned nothing. They sit there and they support the right to negotiate.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Mr STONE: You do, don’t you? You support the right to negotiate.
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: Can we hear it? Let Territorians know where you stand. The member for Fannie Bay said yes. In supporting the right to negotiate, they are signing away development and the future of the Territory. The Labor Party even supported the claims over the port. We are talking about reclamation, we are talking about landfill, and members opposite stood up and supported it - members opposite, the same people who supported the claims over Cullen Bay and Bayview Haven.
I saw Kim Beazley on television, pooh-poohing any notion that a person’s backyard or business is at risk. This is the same man who said, as Deputy Prime Minister: ‘Don’t worry about pastoral leases. They extinguish native title. Trust me’. There he was on television only 4 or 5 years after the event, saying: ‘My fellow Australians, freehold title extinguishes native title. Trust me’. Well, I do not trust him. I have been through the whole process before, with pastoral leases, and they were supposed to extinguish native title.
A review of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act is occurring at the moment. The member for Arnhem spoke about that in an adjournment debate. I have now come into possession of the material that is being hawked around in Aboriginal communities, and I shall table it. I can tell from the look on the member for Arnhem’s face that he is probably aware of the lies that are contained in it - the lies by Galarrwuy Yunupingu that this government will take land off Aboriginal people. That is not what that review is all about. And they talk about reconciliation! I urge every member of this Assembly to watch this tape, and to see the lies that are trotted out by this fraud, this man who masquerades as the chairman of the Northern Land Council and claims to care for his people. He does not care for his people. He cares for himself. What he fears ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: ... is that the large land councils - and they are being defended by the Leader of the Opposition. She backs the NLC and the CLC. She is in there with her mates, Tracker Tilmouth and Yunupingu.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Chief Minister, please resume your seat. Chief Minister, you are being far too provocative, you know that ...
Mr Stone: I haven’t got going yet!
Madam SPEAKER: ... and members are being sucked in. Stop overreacting. Chief Minister, you have been on your feet for quite some time. I think you should wind up your answer.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition and member for Stuart, I note your continued interjections.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Don’t answer back, thank you. Just keep your interjections short.
Mr STONE: Madam Speaker, I will conclude my answer by tabling this scurrilous and disgraceful information. Later, in the course ...
Members interjecting.
Mr Ah Kit interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Arnhem.
Mrs Hickey: I am trying hard to keep a straight
Page 70
face, Shane.
Mr STONE: It contains scurrilous, derogatory information. It contains lies. It is certainly not conducive to reconciliation.
Meanwhile, it has come to our attention that the native title claim in Alice Springs now encompasses the clubhouse at the Alice Springs golf course. When will members opposite stand up for all Territorians rather than the sectional interests that the Labor Party has such a track record for representing?
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr STONE: Yes, they have claimed the golf club now.
Madam Speaker, I table the tape and the associated material. I will provide a transcript of Mr Yunipingu’s comments later in the day to enable all members to read them.
Page 71
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016