Media Release
Thursday October 7th 1999
Friends of the Earth welcomes indigenous hunting ruling
National environment group Friends of the Earth Australia (FoEA) welcomed
today's landmark High Court ruling in favour of indigenous hunting rights. In
1994, Aboriginal activist Mr Murrandoo Yanner was charged with "illegally"
hunting wild crocodiles on Aboriginal land near the Gulf of Carpentaria
settlement of Doomadgee. Mr Yanner had been charged under Queensland state
laws
for hunting a wild animal without a permit. A full bench of the High Court
today dismissed the charges, heralding a new era in the recognition of
indigenous rights to hunt and fish.
The ruling follows last week's National Indigenous Sea Rights Conference
hosted
by ATSIC in Hobart. A key issue that emerged at this conference was the
lack of
universal recognition of sea rights in Australia. Many indigenous people are
suffering the legal consequences - fines, and in some cases, arrest - simply
for practising cultural traditions that contravene local fishing regulations,
such as fishing above quota or out of season.
FoEA spokesperson Cam Walker said : "On the one hand Australia's legal systems
does not recognise the rights of indigenous people to access, manage and
control their marine resources, yet on the other, commercial fishing
operations
(both in Australia and internationally) are plundering stocks of orange
roughy,
southern bluefin tuna and other fish species. Mr Yanner's court victory is a
significant step towards legal and political recognition of indigenous hunting
and fishing rights in Australia".
For more information and comment contact:
Cam Walker 03 9419 8700, 0419 338 047
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