Wave Hill walk-off celebrations spoiled by dismantling of Land Rights Act : Melbourne Indymedia

Annual Wave Hill walk-off at Kalkaringi, Northern Territory

It's been 40 years since Gurindji elder Vincent Lingiari led his people off Wave Hill station in a fight for fair pay and better working conditions.

The walk-off began as a campaign against the British beef baron Lord Vesty for better wages. Lingiari took his people to the banks of the Wattie Creek and the fight developed into a major push for land rights.

The Gurindji struggle led to the 1976 Land Rights Act which has since enabled Aboriginal people to regain ownership of half the land mass of the Northern Territory. This weekend, at the township of Kalkarinjee, hundreds gathered to mark the anniversary of the walk-off 40 years ago by Gurindji stockmen from Wave Hill Station.

Following this week's passing of radical amendments to the NT's Aboriginal Land Rights Act - the very piece of legislation their forefather pioneered all those years ago - Aboriginal land rights have been eroded.

The Federal Government's controversial changes to the Land Rights Act passed just last week - virtually disabling the NT Land Rights Act. The amendments will diminish the power of the four land councils which cover the Northern Territory.

The Land Rights Act will be effectively extinguished by the the Federal Government to allow for 99-year leases of townships on Aboriginal land.

Many at the walk-off anniversary learnt for the first time of the Prime Minister's new amendments, with critics saying:

"It's a real irony to know that in the preceding days to this celebration we've had phenomenal amendments to the Aboriginal land rights legislation, that it could have a fairly significant and disastrous impact on Indigenous people and our rights into the future..."

The Senate's rush to pass the amendments to the Land Rights Act has rung alarms beyond the Aboriginal population. The public interest group GETUP! gathered 25,000 signatures over just one weekend for a Web-based campaign. "What we're seeing is an unravelling of the rights and interests of Aboriginal people in relation to their country, without negotiation, without consultation, without their agreement," said the GetUp guy.

There are certain elements of the bill where there has not been any consultation at all. If you look at the traditional owners' submission to the Senate inquiry, it says, "We only knew about this Senate inquiry by chance".

The Senates Community Affairs Legislation Committee heard submissions on the bill over one day in July and new and contentious measures were later introduced to the Senate at very short notice.

The Senate committee dominated by Government members, lamented that the time available for its inquiry was totally inadequate to do justice to the complex nature of the issues.

"It is unfair, it's unjust and it's totally unprecedented that Australians who have won their cases after a full hearing before a judge should have their case terminated by the Commonwealth Government. It's un-Australian."

In May 1975, Gurindji people were successful in having an area of their own land excised from the Vestey pastoral lease at Wattie Creek in the Northern Territory. In 1986 a claim for recognition of traditional rights made under the 1976 Land Rights Act was successful and 3000 sq km of their land was transferred to Gurindji people.

Yet amid the celebrations, there were concerns that any gains resulting from the strike 40 years ago, and its benefits - have now being eroded.

An academic specialising in Indigenous land issues says changes to the Northern Territory Land Rights Act attack the principle of social justice for Aboriginal people. Professor John Altman says the changes are a blow for Indigenous rights.

"To the whole notion of social justice for Indigenous people through land rights," Professor Altman said. "I think the Federal Government has dressed these amendments up as a way to deliver industry and commerce to Aboriginal land, but I think there's absolutely no evidence base that suggests that's going to happen."

The Northern Territory Government has declared the route of the Wave Hill walk-off a heritage site. But the Central Land Council says the strike will be better remembered if all levels of government respect Aboriginal land rights.
The chief executive of the Central Land Council, David Ross, says he will fight amendments to the Aboriginal Lands Rights Act passed by Federal Parliament this week.

The amendments diminish the power of the land councils and allow for 99-year leases on Aboriginal land, clearing the way for private home ownership. But Mr Ross says not all Aboriginal people want to own their own home and change should not come at the expense of people's cultural links to their land.

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTAR) spokesman Gary Highland says the introduction of 99-year leases on traditional land threatens Aboriginal self-determination. "It's a day that will go down in history as when the high-water mark of land rights in Australia receded," he said.

"It significantly weakens the ability of Indigenous people to control what happens on their land. We think it's a bleak day for Indigenous people and for land rights in Australia."

It's a serious problem for our nation.

We have major changes to one of the most fundamental pieces of legislation affecting the first peoples of this land and it's being rushed through as though they and their views don't matter...

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Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976
walk-off - archive
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth)