By ERWIN CHLANDA
The NT’s four Aboriginal land councils are calling for the Territory Coordinator Bill to be dumped.
The Bill excludes Aboriginal people from involvement in development decisions on their traditional lands and prevents them from protecting their land and culture, says a media statement, claiming the government plans to use its majority to steamroll the Bill through Parliament next week.
“All activities on Aboriginal land must involve the owners of that land,” says Anindilyakwa Land Council chair Cherelle Wurrawilya.
“After all this is privately owned land. Any other private land owner would have the same expectations.”
The councils say the Territory Coordinator will hold unchecked, expansive powers to circumvent regulations and bypass Territory laws and government processes.
He or she “will be able to affect decisions and processes across 32 Scheduled Acts listed in the Bill, along with a host of regulations made under those Acts giving the coordinator unprecedented and sweeping powers.
“The addition of the Heritage Act 2011 to the list of Scheduled Acts will make it subject to the powers of the unelected Coordinator, demonstrating that the NT Government is callously uninterested in the protection and preservation of our places of historical importance.
“Powers to enter private property including Aboriginal freehold land without a warrant are a breach of fundamental rights. It is also concerning that the Bill’s Scheduled Acts can be updated at any stage by regulation.
“While the Northern Territory Sacred Sites Act 1989 is currently not listed, it can be added at the Territory Coordinator’s request – greatly increasing the vulnerability of thousands of critically important cultural and sacred sites.”
Consultation on the Bill has been tokenistic at best, with almost no recommendations made by Land Councils taken on board “from our comprehensive submissions”.
PHOTO: While Uluru is within a national park, other “critically important cultural and sacred sites” are feared to be at risk from the Territory Coordinator Bill, land councils claim. Image Bwtribal.
Says Anindilyakwa Land Council chair Cherelle Wurrawilya: “After all this is privately owned land. Any other private land owner would have the same expectations.”
Yet the Land Councils and Land Trusts fail to provide conventional leases for houses.
As the responsible authorities the Land Councils and Land Trusts fail to issue leases they also fail their responsibilities to maintain their housing.
Why are their responsibilities left for the Commonwealth to manage the leases and houses?
On a smaller scale, last year I contemplated putting a small demountable building on my rural block to house a carer for myself and my wife. I had to get seven different approvals from seven different Government departments to do it.
Finally gave up although we had the builder ad supplier ready to go. Now have just completed a shed – all approved and certified only to find that I have to have a certificate of occupancy to house a caravan!
I can’t do that until I have an electrical connection by a registered electrician. Have tried four electricians and taken six weeks without success so far. And all to legally house my caravan!
I wonder if a co ordinator can save that.