Support for Aboriginal land claim

Kamala Emanuel & Anthea Stutter, Hobart

Tasmanian Aborigines and their supporters are campaigning in favour of the Aboriginal Lands Act 2004, due before state parliament in November. The bill, introduced by the government, will hand back three Bass Strait Islands — lungtalanana (Clarke Island), Goose and Cape Barren Islands — to the Aboriginal community.

The bill is being hailed as a fulfilment of Premier Paul Lennon's commitment to the late Jim Bacon, to see through Bacon's promised land handover. Speaking to a November 11 Socialist Alliance meeting, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) spokesperson Heather Sculthorpe explained that Bacon had attempted the handing back of land in 1999, but the bill was rejected by the legislative council. The new bill will hand back less land than the original bill.

Sculthorpe said that the bill was supported by the majority of Aboriginal people in Tasmania, but a minority had signed a statement saying that they didn't want the land handed back. These signatures, along with signatures from non-Aboriginal residents of Cape Baron Island, are being used by Flinders Island Mayor Terence Klug to build opposition to the claim. Klug argues that Cape Barren and lungtalanana should be developed for agriculture.

Other opposition has come from legislative councillors who claim that the bill is too rushed. However, the Tasmanian Aboriginal community has been campaigning for the return of its land for over 100 years.

The Tasmanian Aboriginal community is asking supporters to contact members of the Legislative Council to urge them to support the bill. For more information, phone Trudy Maluga at the TAC on (03) 6331 6966.

From Green Left Weekly, November 17, 2004.

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From GLW issue 606