Dr LIM - 1995-11-23
The CLC's native title claim over the township of Yulara has caused a great deal of concern among people in central Australia and especially in Alice Springs. What is the government's reaction to this ambit claim?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, as I indicated yesterday, the Northern Territory government is somewhat disappointed with the way that this has been managed. I described it as a money grab. The Leader of the Opposition tried to recast it as a land grab, but we should have no illusions about where this is coming from. I do not believe it is coming from the traditional owners at Uluru but rather that it has been driven by the Central Land Council. I thought the matter was well summed up in Tracker Tilmouth's media release, in which he said that they would expect to negotiate a substantial compensation package.
Mr Ede: That is what it is all about.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition says that that is what it is all about.
Mr Ede: It is their right.
Mr STONE: Basically, it is a cash grab.
The sad thing about all of this is that we had been negotiating for some time with the local Aboriginal community with a view to their becoming equity-holders in Ayers Rock Resort, which is now claimed as a world-class resort. We were going down the path of working together with the local Aboriginal people only to have this come at us from left field from the Central Land Council - not from the people whom we had been encouraging to take a commercial approach.
The Leader of the Opposition has failed to concede that this is a first-class resort which has brought tangible benefits to the local Aboriginal community. Sadly, that was not conceded during the ...
Mr Ede: What!
Mr STONE: ... recent celebrations. It was not. The resort has received a national award 2 years in a row. There has been a considerable up side to the development of the facility at Ayers Rock. We were encouraging a commercial approach from the local owners with a view to their becoming equity-holders, but the Central Land Council said no. Basically, it said: `Give us money'.
Mr Ede: People have rights.
Mr STONE: I will tell you who else has rights and that is those who will have to foot the bill, and I refer to Territory taxpayers. The simple fact is that this dates back in time and, if anyone is to pay, it should be the Commonwealth. I would have expected the Leader of the Opposition to tell Territorians that this should not be coming out of their pockets, but out of the Commonwealth's pockets. He is quite happy to say that people have rights and that they should be given what they want. What he does not say is that it is Territorians who will pay. That is where the buck stops. It is past time that the Leader of the Opposition began to stand up for Territorians. This is yet another example of his trying to make a big fellow of himself by saying that certain people should be given what they want because it is their right. The rest of
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the community has rights too. It is the right of Territorians to expect that, if there is to be a payment, the Commonwealth should meet the cost.
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Page 1036
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, as I indicated yesterday, the Northern Territory government is somewhat disappointed with the way that this has been managed. I described it as a money grab. The Leader of the Opposition tried to recast it as a land grab, but we should have no illusions about where this is coming from. I do not believe it is coming from the traditional owners at Uluru but rather that it has been driven by the Central Land Council. I thought the matter was well summed up in Tracker Tilmouth's media release, in which he said that they would expect to negotiate a substantial compensation package.
Mr Ede: That is what it is all about.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition says that that is what it is all about.
Mr Ede: It is their right.
Mr STONE: Basically, it is a cash grab.
The sad thing about all of this is that we had been negotiating for some time with the local Aboriginal community with a view to their becoming equity-holders in Ayers Rock Resort, which is now claimed as a world-class resort. We were going down the path of working together with the local Aboriginal people only to have this come at us from left field from the Central Land Council - not from the people whom we had been encouraging to take a commercial approach.
The Leader of the Opposition has failed to concede that this is a first-class resort which has brought tangible benefits to the local Aboriginal community. Sadly, that was not conceded during the ...
Mr Ede: What!
Mr STONE: ... recent celebrations. It was not. The resort has received a national award 2 years in a row. There has been a considerable up side to the development of the facility at Ayers Rock. We were encouraging a commercial approach from the local owners with a view to their becoming equity-holders, but the Central Land Council said no. Basically, it said: `Give us money'.
Mr Ede: People have rights.
Mr STONE: I will tell you who else has rights and that is those who will have to foot the bill, and I refer to Territory taxpayers. The simple fact is that this dates back in time and, if anyone is to pay, it should be the Commonwealth. I would have expected the Leader of the Opposition to tell Territorians that this should not be coming out of their pockets, but out of the Commonwealth's pockets. He is quite happy to say that people have rights and that they should be given what they want. What he does not say is that it is Territorians who will pay. That is where the buck stops. It is past time that the Leader of the Opposition began to stand up for Territorians. This is yet another example of his trying to make a big fellow of himself by saying that certain people should be given what they want because it is their right. The rest of
Page 1037
the community has rights too. It is the right of Territorians to expect that, if there is to be a payment, the Commonwealth should meet the cost.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016