Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 3 minutes ago
The state government has hit pause on legislation that could drastically curtail the number of First Nation land claims. Opponents have been accusing Labor of trying to sneak the changes through Parliament.

Category

📺
TV
Transcript
00:02They thought they'd won this fight.
00:04What do we want? Land rights!
00:06Instead, Aboriginal groups say they're being forced to defend a principle that they've relied on for decades.
00:13The Land Rights Act sets up we can claim crown land not needed, required or used.
00:18Last year the High Court ruled the Paddington Bowling Club was claimable crown land because the site wasn't being used,
00:26despite a private company holding a lease there.
00:28Now the Government wants to change the law so that a lease alone will be enough to avoid an Aboriginal
00:34land claim, even if there's no activity on the site.
00:37This impacts our future. If we go through this bill, it's 40 years backwards for us.
00:42The Government says the changes will ensure there's investment in community facilities.
00:47We need to be able to actually get them to commit and to invest in these sites.
00:51If we can't offer them a lease term, well we're not going to be getting any investment on our crown
00:56land site.
00:56There's a backlog of 43,000 land claims in New South Wales and the Government's determined to reduce it.
01:02And some of these changes would be retrospective, letting the Minister validate leases on crown land that would otherwise be
01:09declared void.
01:10The tipping point's been reached today, we've got to speak out.
01:13And their voices have been heard, at least in part.
01:16The Government has postponed debate on the bill and it's hinting there could be room for compromise.
01:21We'll consult with the land councils and try and get it right, but our priority is to protect those precious
01:29community facilities.
01:31Suggesting this fight could be far from over.
01:34Well, I see the fact that many othermen do not be taken since theyindasket.
01:35Then we look at the people on the 목ucht to keep them in mind, but where we look at the
01:35people on the ground.
01:36Then the project桜 and the project keeping people out rather than they are taking place.
Comments

Recommended