Mr WOOD - 2002-08-21
Over the past 12 months, the government has signalled it is wanting to compulsorily acquire native title rights over some sections of Crown land. Many of the native title claims have yet to be heard but, if they are approved, the Territory government will be liable to pay compensation to the native title claimants for the land that is acquired compulsorily. The Territory budget does not appear to list these possible payouts under contingent liabilities. What is the government doing to ensure it will have the funds to pay this compensation if it is required to?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson. It is a good question, and it is one of the key differences between this Labor government and the previous CLP government. It is one of the things I am very proud of over the last 12 months, that the issues we saw fought out year after year over land rights issues and native title issues, is no longer happening in the Territory. We are looking at solutions, negotiations, and successful outcomes of those native title issues and results for economic development on Aboriginal land.
To simply say that it is an issue of compensation is not what it is about. This is about a process of negotiation, and perhaps part of it might be that. But we are working through a number of issues. It is one of the reasons that, in the Department of Chief Minister, we have set up the Office of Indigenous Policy, headed up by a man with an enormous reputation in the area of indigenous policy; that is Neil Westbury. It is great to have him on board. The work is being done, but not in public, full of rhetoric, like we saw before, with the damage done before. It is being done quietly and cooperatively. We are looking forward, in the next 12 months, to some real successes in this area. In the next 12 months, we will have a number of real successes, and in the next few months we will have some as well.
We do have a lands acquisition budget, member for Nelson and, at this stage in the budget papers, it is $3.5m, and there are other capacities to deal with those issues as they emerge. We are looking at negotiated settlements, and as many constructive ways that we can do this as possible. We are not doing it the same way we had it done before. We are not having public fights, political rhetoric, or the politics of race.
If we take an example of what the CLP left in legacy, it was what? - between $20m and $30m fighting over Kenbi - and it got nowhere. A disgraceful legacy from the previous government. A disgraceful legacy that was damaging both to Territorians and to the image of the Territory in the rest of Australia. That has changed, and we will see some real evidence of that; and we have already in the past 12 months.
One small example: within the first three to four months, 70 000 km of land opened up for exploration by a brand new government, which was held up by the previous government only for political purposes. There were 900-plus exploration applications not processed, not even moved from the minister’s desk, because of politics. Well, this is a very different government. We are here for all Territorians, and we are going to get results for all Territorians.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson. It is a good question, and it is one of the key differences between this Labor government and the previous CLP government. It is one of the things I am very proud of over the last 12 months, that the issues we saw fought out year after year over land rights issues and native title issues, is no longer happening in the Territory. We are looking at solutions, negotiations, and successful outcomes of those native title issues and results for economic development on Aboriginal land.
To simply say that it is an issue of compensation is not what it is about. This is about a process of negotiation, and perhaps part of it might be that. But we are working through a number of issues. It is one of the reasons that, in the Department of Chief Minister, we have set up the Office of Indigenous Policy, headed up by a man with an enormous reputation in the area of indigenous policy; that is Neil Westbury. It is great to have him on board. The work is being done, but not in public, full of rhetoric, like we saw before, with the damage done before. It is being done quietly and cooperatively. We are looking forward, in the next 12 months, to some real successes in this area. In the next 12 months, we will have a number of real successes, and in the next few months we will have some as well.
We do have a lands acquisition budget, member for Nelson and, at this stage in the budget papers, it is $3.5m, and there are other capacities to deal with those issues as they emerge. We are looking at negotiated settlements, and as many constructive ways that we can do this as possible. We are not doing it the same way we had it done before. We are not having public fights, political rhetoric, or the politics of race.
If we take an example of what the CLP left in legacy, it was what? - between $20m and $30m fighting over Kenbi - and it got nowhere. A disgraceful legacy from the previous government. A disgraceful legacy that was damaging both to Territorians and to the image of the Territory in the rest of Australia. That has changed, and we will see some real evidence of that; and we have already in the past 12 months.
One small example: within the first three to four months, 70 000 km of land opened up for exploration by a brand new government, which was held up by the previous government only for political purposes. There were 900-plus exploration applications not processed, not even moved from the minister’s desk, because of politics. Well, this is a very different government. We are here for all Territorians, and we are going to get results for all Territorians.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016