News and Media
MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Traditional owners from across the Northern Territory’s central Top End are making their submission to the Federal Government to set up a new land council.
Representatives from Aboriginal clans across the region, including the Jawoyn, Mangarrayi, Alawa, Wardaman and Gulin Gulin, have come together to form the proposed Katherine Region Land Council.
They will today sign the completed submission in Katherine and lodge it with the Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin.
If the group is successful, their traditional lands will be removed from control of the Northern Land Council, the representative body for traditional owners across the Top End.
“The Northern Land Council has been representing traditional owners in our area for decades,” Jawoyn Association chief executive officer Preston Lee said.
“We acknowledge all the work the NLC has done for us in the past.
“However, clan groups from across the central Top End are united in our call for independence. We want our own land council.
”Many traditional owners say they face opposition and red tape when trying to look after and develop their own land and provide economic opportunities for their people.
They say the NLC’s move to take the traditional owners’ company on Elsey Station to court is one example of why the new land council is needed.
“The NLC sued our company in court,” Mangarrayi traditional owner Sheila Conway said.
“We thought the NLC was set up to represent us – not attack us.
“Not even the Commonwealth Government Minister could stop them - this is the last straw.”
Wardaman traditional owner May Rosas agrees.
“Traditional owners need to be able to look after their own country and pursue our own business development opportunities,” Ms Rosas said.
“We want to use our country – and the income from it – to invest in future enterprises and to create job opportunities and to support stronger communities.
”The Australian Government’s primary objective in its 2006 reform of the Land Rights Act was to facilitate a higher level of economic development of Aboriginal land.
Part of that reform was to more easily enable the creation of new land councils.
The Jawoyn Association’s Preston Lee says the new Katherine Regional Land Council will provide the dignity and opportunities offered to Aboriginal people by the Land Rights Act.
“The new council will uphold the principles of transparency, consistency, proper consultation and self-determination for traditional owners within their own land trust,” Mr Lee said.
“The Commonwealth Parliament recognises the NLC’s regional committees can only ever have very limited decision-making roles. For example, they are unable to approve exploration or mining agreements.
“The new land council will offer a more flexible administrative structure to better represent and process the concerns of Aboriginal people at the local level.”
Mr Lee says its time for traditional owners in the Katherine region to make their own decisions about their own land.
“Local decision-making with timely responses to development proposals would be appreciated by all,” Mr Lee said.
“We have the resources, capacity and will to stand on our own two feet – and we are determined to do so.”
Signing ceremony
To mark the occasion, the Djilpin dancers will perform for traditional owners from across the region who will then sign the submission to the Federal Government
Where: Indigenous Boxing Club, Corner Second and Warburton Street, Katherine (venue may move to the banks of the Katherine river is weather permits)
When: 11.30am, Tuesday January 25, 2011
For further information contact
Jawoyn Association ph: (08) 8972 540
Background
Clans forming the proposed land council include:
- Alawa people (Hodgson Downs/Minyerri)
- Dalabon people (Bulman)
- Garawa people (Borroloola/Robinson River)
- Jawoyn people (Katherine/Kakadu south)
- Jingali people (Elliott)
- Mangarrayi people (Mataranka)
- Mara (Borroloola)
- Miyilli people (Katherine/Pine Creek)
- Mudbara people (Elliott)
- Ngalakan (Ngukurr)
- Ngaliwurru/Nungali people (Timber Creek)
- Ngalkbon people (Bulman)o Ngandi (Ngukurr)
- Ngarinman (Yarralin/Aminbidji)
- Nunggubuyu (Ngukurr)
- Rambarrngna people (Bulman)
- Ritharangu (Ngukurr)
- Waanyi people (Nicholson River)
- Wagaman (Pine Creek)
- Wandarang (Ngukurr)
- Wanimyn people (Timber Creek east)
- Wardaman people (Katherine west)
- Yangman people (Mataranka)
- Yanyula (Borroloola)
