Secret talks on 10-point plan
By Angela Walker
"Aboriginal people are about to be comprehensively sold out. Secret talks between the Howard government, Senator Harradine, and separately, the ALP, all point to a broad-fronted erosion of the Senate's stand against the 10-point plan", said Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown on March 12.
The Senate resumes on March 23, and the Native Title Amendment Bill is due to be debated after March 30.
Speaking out against recent comments by Aboriginal rights campaigner Father Frank Brennan, Brown said that "Brennan's political accusations against Aboriginal negotiators on the eve of the Wik bill re-entering the Senate amount to detonating a landmine under indigenous interests. Occasionally people of great commitment and learning misfire in a way which is damaging to their cause as well as themselves. Father Brennan is misfiring ...
"Father Brennan's support for a Wik bill that is exempted from the Racial Discrimination Act and rules out the Aboriginal right to negotiate on lease upgrades for anything except mining gives comfort to the unfair and discriminatory compromise being crafted by the politicians."
Brown is warning the pro-native title movement that the limited opposition by both the Australian Labor Party and Senator Harradine may weaken further to allow the passage of Howard's legislation. "Last year, the ALP gave up on the right of Aborigines to negotiate on all changes to the land except mining. Now, it seems it is giving up even more on mines."
Brown added, "Senator Harradine is reported to be talking with the government about watering down the clause ensuring the bill is subject to the Racial Discrimination Act".
Upon hearing reports of secret talks between the Howard government and the ALP, Queensland Premier Rob Borbidge warned that any compromise by the federal government on Wik would be a "declaration of war" on Queensland.
The Queensland Nationals need to shore up their rural support base and maintain a differentiation between the Coalition and the ALP in the state election. If the Howard government and the ALP agree on a plan to extinguish native title, this makes Borbidge's task more difficult.
On the eve of the 10-point plan returning to the Senate, rallies and events have been organised in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Wollongong to oppose the plan and defend native title. (See Meetings ... Parties ... Anything for details).