When I was last in Australia 4 years ago, there were a whole bunch of land claims being filed by various Aboriginal groups, including one by the Adnyamuthana people on the Flinders/Mt. Lofty Ranges (including Adelaide). What’s been happening to those claims - any settled or dropped? Has there been any legislation concerning what “compensation” might be appropriate in lieu of returning native title?
Also, whatever happened in the Hindmarsh Island affair? Did the developers ever get the go-ahead to build their bridge?
I’ve tried looking for news items on the web but was having a tough time finding up-to-date (post-1996) information.
It’s fair to say that the answers here are complicated, and I’m in hurry now, so I’ll just sketch and return later.
The Hindmarsh Island Bridge can be built, but as yet has not been. The developers are suing everyone in site, including then Aboriginal Affarirs Minister Robert Tickner. The term “secret women’s business” has entered the lexicon, as has secret men’s business (to refer to football etc).
Native title was complicated by the Howard government’s difficulty in reconciling its devotion to the farm lobby and its commitment to a non discriminatory outcome, as well as a High Court decision (the Wik case) on the matter of the consistency of leases and Native Title.
It’s fair to say that there is not agreement on the balance of rights in the legislation, and that the mechanism for dispute resolution, whilst quicker than the original tribunals, is still cumbersome and unsatisfactory.
All this has not been helped by a breakdown in relations between the Federal Government and mainstream Aboriginal leaders.
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