Ms CARNEY - 2006-08-22
Your government was briefed by the federal Aboriginal affairs minister’s staff about the contents of the proposed changes to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act following its introduction in May this year. Yet, Chief Minister, there is clearly a rift in your Caucus, as well as between you and your party president. Is your Labor Party President, Warren Snowdon, correct in suggesting that you were ignorant of the legislation’s contents? Or, is it the case that you knew and understood the contents, but you failed to tell your Caucus of your support of these changes. Do you have the support of your parliamentary colleagues in relation to your position on the changes to the federal Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that it is not my position; it is this government’s position. The issue that somehow or other I am dragooning people through this is absolute rubbish. The major issue with the amendments to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act has been the federal government. Three years ago …
Mr Stirling: Brough said do not do it.
Ms MARTIN: … we worked through and, as the Deputy Chief Minister said, the Minister for Indigenous Affairs has admitted this. I will give you a little history here. Four years ago, we were asked by the then minister, the Hon Philip Ruddock, to look at aspects of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act to see where we could get changes working through with key stakeholders. We did that, and the first area we worked on was that area to do with mining and exploration, Part IV. We did not always get full agreement from the Minerals Council, but we had agreement with the land councils. Three years ago, we handed a raft of agreed changes to the federal government. That sat there and sat there. In subsequent conversations with Philip Ruddock as minister, I asked: ‘What are you going to do with these? What plans do you have?’ He said: ‘We have plans for other amendments’. I asked if he wanted to talk about them, and he replied, ‘No’.
The same happened with Amanda Vanstone as late as last September. I wrote to the Prime Minister at the time and asked about getting the amendments out and talking them through. Nothing! They were plonked down at the last minute, we get some time to look at them, then they are rushed through the federal parliament. We wanted the federal government to properly consult stakeholders and the Northern Territory government. It has been a rushed job. We did the work four years ago; we handed it to them.
I am not saying we disagree with all the amendments - certainly not. It is very interesting to hear that, regarding the leasing arrangements, three out of the four land councils are strongly supporting them - the Northern Land Council, the Anindilyakwa Land Council and the Tiwi Land Council. However, like all amendments, you have some Aboriginal groups and organisations saying: ‘We support these’, and you have other groups diametrically opposed not supporting the same amendments. They are very difficult, which is why we said to the federal government: ‘Slow down and let us have a look at them’.
We have the situation now where they have rushed them through the federal parliament. One of the causes of the most contention is that rush. From our point of view, we tried to catch up as the amendments were coming in. We had a good briefing for Caucus and Cabinet as we saw what was happening, and we are left in the situation where there is a level of discontent. That discontent should be directed towards the federal Indigenous Affairs minister, Mal Brough, and the Commonwealth government.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that it is not my position; it is this government’s position. The issue that somehow or other I am dragooning people through this is absolute rubbish. The major issue with the amendments to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act has been the federal government. Three years ago …
Mr Stirling: Brough said do not do it.
Ms MARTIN: … we worked through and, as the Deputy Chief Minister said, the Minister for Indigenous Affairs has admitted this. I will give you a little history here. Four years ago, we were asked by the then minister, the Hon Philip Ruddock, to look at aspects of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act to see where we could get changes working through with key stakeholders. We did that, and the first area we worked on was that area to do with mining and exploration, Part IV. We did not always get full agreement from the Minerals Council, but we had agreement with the land councils. Three years ago, we handed a raft of agreed changes to the federal government. That sat there and sat there. In subsequent conversations with Philip Ruddock as minister, I asked: ‘What are you going to do with these? What plans do you have?’ He said: ‘We have plans for other amendments’. I asked if he wanted to talk about them, and he replied, ‘No’.
The same happened with Amanda Vanstone as late as last September. I wrote to the Prime Minister at the time and asked about getting the amendments out and talking them through. Nothing! They were plonked down at the last minute, we get some time to look at them, then they are rushed through the federal parliament. We wanted the federal government to properly consult stakeholders and the Northern Territory government. It has been a rushed job. We did the work four years ago; we handed it to them.
I am not saying we disagree with all the amendments - certainly not. It is very interesting to hear that, regarding the leasing arrangements, three out of the four land councils are strongly supporting them - the Northern Land Council, the Anindilyakwa Land Council and the Tiwi Land Council. However, like all amendments, you have some Aboriginal groups and organisations saying: ‘We support these’, and you have other groups diametrically opposed not supporting the same amendments. They are very difficult, which is why we said to the federal government: ‘Slow down and let us have a look at them’.
We have the situation now where they have rushed them through the federal parliament. One of the causes of the most contention is that rush. From our point of view, we tried to catch up as the amendments were coming in. We had a good briefing for Caucus and Cabinet as we saw what was happening, and we are left in the situation where there is a level of discontent. That discontent should be directed towards the federal Indigenous Affairs minister, Mal Brough, and the Commonwealth government.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016