AMENDMENTS TO PTJANTJATJARA ACT "BETRAYAL" -GREENS

The Government has failed South Australian aboriginal traditional land owners by pushing forward amendments to the 1981 Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act with undue haste, Greens MP Kris Hanna said last week.
“Many people in the north of the state who are directly affected by this Bill have been given no say in it. The new law has the potential to undermine the involvement of traditional owners in decision-making for the Lands.

Dozens of traditional owners and their supporters attended a meeting of the Aboriginal Land Standing Committee on 25th August. At that meeting, serious questions were raised about the levels of consultation and agreement about the proposed new laws.

“For example, it appeared that many of the Anangu did not realise that the new law could enable the Minister to take over the role of the AP Executive in some circumstances. There are hidden implications in the Bill.

“It was evident at this meeting that various traditional owners considered the amendments controversial and that consultation with them had been extremely inadequate.

“After meeting with the Premier in August, it appears some traditional owners came away with misapprehensions about the Bill.

“The proposed amendments should be put aside now to allow a much greater period for proper, culturally appropriate consultation to take place: anything less than this would be a betrayal of the APY people.”