Mr WOOD - 2014-03-26
You have responsibility for the Darwin town Aboriginal community task force which was established some time ago. Could you say how many meetings the task force has held over the last 12 months? Could you also say whether members of the community were included in these meetings and, if so, how many and from what communities? Could you advise the results of these meetings so far, and is the government still talking to the Larrakia Nation about taking over the 15 Mile and Knuckey Lagoon communities?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. There are a couple of inaccuracies though. There are different areas the department of Lands and Planning is involved in, including negotiations around the land tenure of these sites, not only around Darwin, but Alice Springs and other locations.
Essential services are undertaken by minister Price, but there are a number of negotiations going on with different operators on the future of these sites. The members on this side of the House want to see the day where Indigenous people can have land tenure, borrow money to build a house or a business and invest in their businesses.
It should be the ideal future for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory, but, as the member for Sanderson said, there are many negotiations going on and many land groups involved. Each town camp should be treated separately, because there are separate entities with interests in the land.
A number of negotiations are going on at the moment and a number of people are involved, but the department of Lands and Planning is in negotiations over the land tenure side, not so much the essential services or the housing side of things.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. There are a couple of inaccuracies though. There are different areas the department of Lands and Planning is involved in, including negotiations around the land tenure of these sites, not only around Darwin, but Alice Springs and other locations.
Essential services are undertaken by minister Price, but there are a number of negotiations going on with different operators on the future of these sites. The members on this side of the House want to see the day where Indigenous people can have land tenure, borrow money to build a house or a business and invest in their businesses.
It should be the ideal future for Indigenous people in the Northern Territory, but, as the member for Sanderson said, there are many negotiations going on and many land groups involved. Each town camp should be treated separately, because there are separate entities with interests in the land.
A number of negotiations are going on at the moment and a number of people are involved, but the department of Lands and Planning is in negotiations over the land tenure side, not so much the essential services or the housing side of things.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016