Victoria opens doors to native title claims ABC - The World Today - Tuesday, April 18, 2000 12:50 COMPERE: In a bold change of direction the Victorian Government is throwing its doors open to Native Title claims. Attorney-General Rob Hulls has been telling a conference in Melbourne all such claims will now be mediated and negotiated, no matter how strong or weak they may be. He says litigation has been a waste of money and dragging Aboriginal claimants through the courts has created far too much bad blood. Giulia Baggio in Melbourne: GIULIA BAGGIO: Rob Hulls says litigation has no winners. In Victoria the previous government spent $4 million over five years to defeat a land claim by the Yorta Yorta people, based around the Murray River. But while state governments around Australia continue to fight similar claims, Victoria is saying "no more". All relevant Government departments will now be called upon to assist in mediating and settling claims. Mr Hulls says Aboriginal claimants will be offered a range of deals, including the ultimate prize, Native Title. ROB HULLS: I think it�s important that as a possibility of any negotiation or mediation, that Native Title and the recognition of Native Title could be an outcome, and unless you, in my view, have that as a possible outcome, then you�re not as a government going to the negotiation table in good faith. GIULIA BAGGIO: Claimants will no longer have to provide a connection report proving their link to the land in question. Other state governments demand this as a pre-requisite to lodging a claim. Isn�t this going to open the floodgates for many, many claimants who�ve got very poor chances of succeeding in getting any sort of Native Title win? ROB HULLS: No. Look the fact is that you can actually achieve outcomes without necessarily recognising Native Title. But you need to come to the negotiating table knowing that the recognition of Native Title may well be an outcome. But there are a whole range of other matters that can benefit Aboriginal communities that don�t necessarily involve the recognition of Native Title. GIULIA BAGGIO: Such as. ROB HULLS: Well, such as apprenticeships, such as joint venture arrangements, such as arrangements to assist in employment of Aboriginal people, such as scholarships. GIULIA BAGGIO: George Irving, the principal legal officer with the Kimberley Land Council says he�s astonished by Victoria�s grand vision. He says litigation of land claims has been an enormous road block on the road to reconciliation and if there are resources to back it up, the Victorian model will be a shining example to the rest of the country. GEORGE IRVING: Largely, as I said before, because there�s a policy vacuum on how to deal with Native Title, so state governments are holding out to see what happens in the High Court. Certainly from the claimants point of view and certainly from the Kimberley Land Council�s point of view, litigation is a last resort. The most appropriate way of dealing with these things is through mediation. You�ve got old people who have suffered dispossession, disempowerment, many of their children have been stolen by the government, and they�re being expected to go into court and prove who they are. It�s totally inappropriate. COMPERE: George Irving is a representative from the Kimberley Land Council. Giulia Baggio reporting. � 2000 Australian Broadcasting Corporation -- _________________________________ Truth is a pathless land. --- Krishnamurti ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
