By Bridget Riggs
MELBOURNE — About 600 people attended a Defenders of Native Title (DONT) public meeting on February 15 in the Melbourne Town Hall. Speakers included former Democrat senator Sid Spindler of the DONT coordinating committee, singer Peter Garrett, Jacqui Katona from the Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation, Aboriginal activist Gary Foley, Olga Havnen, CEO of the National Indigenous Working Group, Moira Rayner from the Real Republic group and Ric Farley from the National Native Title Tribunal.
Garrett described the 10-point plan as "the biggest land grab since Governor Phillip landed in Sydney Cove".
Katona emphasised the Aboriginal community's fight for land rights. "Defending our land is integral to Aboriginal law. The land is where we bury our people, and defence of our land is to ensure we can hold onto cultural values and therefore allow our community to continue.
"Native title is just another sophisticated way of dealing with the Liberal government. The High Court ruled that there was land tenure before white settlement. Now the amendment to the Native Title Act has sparked a meaningless, divisive debate", Katona told the meeting.
Foley was critical of DONT's stance on native title. "Aboriginal people have to have the opportunity to say what goes on, on their land. Don't be led by the nose by the DONT mob; native title is the unfairest form of land tenure. Before Mabo the catchcry used to be 'Land rights now'. This means inalienable freehold. The Native Title Act took us back 200 years.
"What do you get from native title 'rights'? Once every few months you might get to catch a turtle and get some wood for a didgeridoo. But Aboriginal people have to have a say on what happens in their land", Foley argued.
Defenders of Native Title in Victoria has more than 3000 members. DONT informs the public about the current state of play in the native title debate and involves them in symbolic events to support native title. It argues that the campaign needs to concentrate solely on native title to the exclusion of other issues.
DONT argues that, while issues such as the stolen generation inquiry, the campaign against the Jabiluka uranium mine and the Hindmarsh Island campaign are important, including them as part of its platform would divert attention from native title.
But narrowing the focus hinders the campaign for native title. What prevents the campaign from increasing in size and strength is the absence of a broad activist base that includes the trade union movement and that embraces environmental issues, land rights and a mass action strategy.