FREE August 2016 VOLUME 6. NUMBER 2. 1976 - 2016 PG. ## 40TH LAND RIGHTS ANNIVERSARY WARNING : THIS ISSUE CONTAINS MANY IMAGES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DECEASED NT ELECTION: WHO TREATY, YEAH? LINGIARI ART AWARD: WILL YOU VOTE FOR? PICKING WINNERS P. 4 PG. # P. 6 PG. # P. 23 ISSN 1839-5279ISSN NEWS EDITORIAL Bleakest or most exciting times for our mob? Land Rights News Central A WEAKENED Prime expertise, allowing Aboriginal Australia is published by the Minister has scraped together people to manage their own Central Land Council three a narrow victory after an services, the statement said. times a year. election campaign where It also called to restore more The Central Land Council Aboriginal interests barely than $500 million cut from the rated a mention, leaving many portfolio under Prime Minister 27 Stuart Hwy wondering what the next Tony Abbott, including funding Alice Springs parliament has in store for First for the National Congress of NT 0870 Australians. Australia’s First Peoples and Despite a boring campaign new peak representative bodies tel: 89516211 and a widely acknowledged for education, employment and www.clc.org.au crisis in Aboriginal affairs, calls housing “as a matter of national email [email protected] for change from indigenous priority and urgency”. leaders rarely cut through. The statement echoed the Contributions are welcome One of those moments Northern Land Council’s came in June, when many of Joe Morrison who, a week Australia’s peak indigenous earlier, lamented that times in bodies gathered in Sydney Aboriginal affairs have “never SUBSCRIPTIONS to demand a new standalone been bleaker” since former department to deliver programs PM Tony Abbott moved the Land Rights News Central that advance Aboriginal people. portfolio to PM&C. Australia subscriptions are The signatories of the The CEO of the NLC caused $20 per year. Redfern Statement want a stir when he implored LRNCA is distributed free responsibility for Aboriginal Mr Turnbull to replace the affairs to be removed from the responsible minister, the to Aboriginal organisations Department of Prime Minister hapless Senator Nigel Scullion. and communities in Central and Cabinet (PM&C) and given In a speech to the National Australia. to a standalone department Native Title Conference Mr To subscribe email: managed and run by senior Morrison called the minister New senators Malarndirri McCarthy and Pat Dodson (Shadow Assistant [email protected] indigenous public servants. a “failure” and accused him of Minister for Aboriginal Affairs) with Linda Burney (Shadow Minister for Policy and service delivery waging an ideological campaign Human Services) . The first Aboriginal woman in the lower house has must be brought together to against land councils and land called Senator Scullion a “failure” as Indigenous Affairs Minister. ensure a central department of rights. indigenous people at heart and comparison, offers only a He cited the “fiasco” of the a commitment to work with the fragile bundle of rights that can ADVERTISING Indigenous Advancement institutional architecture, not be readily extinguished.” Strategy and the “ill-fated” work against it”. He suggested turning Mr Advertise in the only for the dole scheme (see story He said the minister had Scullion’s campaign on its head. newspaper to reliably p.8) as proof that the “meddling always wanted to replace the “If the Land Rights Act reach Aboriginal people in and micro-managing” minister Aboriginal Land Rights Act is good enough for the remote Central Australia. was “not up to the job”. with inferior native title rights Northern Territory, why isn’t Mr Morrison implored Mr (see story p.12). it good enough for the rest of Next publication date: Turnbull “to find a new minister “Senator Scullion knows Australia?” Nov 2016 [who] has the interests of that the Native Title Act, by continued on p.12 Rates are available online at www.clc.org.au/land- rights-news OR email: Bail changes target teenagers [email protected] OR Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel A LAW proposed by the Ms Weste said the proposed to be more about his own re- call 89516211 Scullion has been reappointed Territory’s CLP government laws would hit already election chances than good despite calls for his demotion. that would land even more vulnerable and disadvantaged justice outcomes. youths in jail while they wait to Aboriginal children and “The NT government is using go to court has been slammed impose an unnecessary cost on one of the oldest tricks in the by legal and human rights taxpayers. books, which is to beat the law Missed opportunity to groups. Amnesty International said and order drum using harsher Chief Minister Adam Giles the changes would backfire by policies, but we know they don’t said that if his government is harming young people. work,” the Human Rights Law protect sacred sites re-elected teenagers who are ”There’s so much potential for Centre’s Ruth Barson told accused of repeat property (this) to lead to kids committing NITV. THE NORTHERN Land act,” he said. offences will no longer even more serious crimes and The Australian Bar Association Council has described the Giles “And that was because there automatically get bail. becoming further entrenched in said on any one night, 53 per government’s review of sacred were no recommendations “This will be one of the first that system from an early age,” cent of youths in detention are sites legislation as a missed covering measures such pieces of legislation we will be Amnesty spokesman Julian indigenous, with mandatory chance to strengthen the law. as mandatory sacred site putting forward,” Mr Giles told Cleary told AAP. sentencing laws the main reason Among the review’s 39 clearances for major works.” the ABC. Mr Cleary said jailing kids why Aboriginal youths are so recommendations are stop work AAPA’s CEO Ben Scambary He said he’d “had enough” before they had appeared in overrepresented in jail. powers that may improve sacred said stop work powers “might of young people, labelled by court to answer charges “is “The reimprisonment rate site protection. prevent issues such as the site his government as “young clearly not a last resort”. for Aboriginal children is The Aboriginal Areas damage that occurred at Bootu mongrels”, repeatedly breaking The NT already locks up higher than the retention rate Protection Authority (AAPA) Creek.” into houses and stealing. young people at five times the of school. It’s just a national welcomed the recommendations In 2013 mining company OM Australian Lawyers for national rate. Three out of four disgrace and we’ve got to but NLC CEO Joe Morrison Manganese was fined $150,000 Human Rights says the law youths are in jail while they do something about it,” the told the ABC he believed the for desecrating a sacred site would breach Australia’s wait to go to court. association’s president, Patrick government’s review team did known as Two Women Sitting international human rights “What makes the Chief O’Sullivan, QC, said. not consult custodians of sacred near Bootu Creek. obligations. Minister think that doing more The Australian Red Cross’ sites. Dr Scambary said currently Vice president Kerry Weste of the same is going to get us a 2016 Rethinking Justice report “I think that there could have AAPA can’t stop mining if has said the United Nations better result?” asked the North found that there are better been more comprehensive sacred sites are being damaged. Convention on the Rights of Australian Aboriginal Justice approaches. responses given by Aboriginal “Which has been a difficulty at the Child and other UN rules Agency’s Jonathon Hunyor. It has praised a plan traditional owners and times where we are aware on the require that jailing youth “It’s very easy to talk tough, developed by the broad range of custodians, who in fact are very spot that a sacred site has been awaiting trial must only be used but we’ve been doing that for indigenous and non-indigenous concerned about sacred site damaged, but we don’t have as a last resort and then only for decades.” organisations that make up the protection.” the power to stop work, only to the shortest time. “It’s been an absolute failure Change The Record Coalition. Mr Morrison said he agreed provide advice that an offence “They also require that and promising more of the The plan is a whole of with recommendations such under the act might be being whenever possible, detention same isn’t leadership,” he said. government strategy to drive as increased penalties for committed,” he told the ABC. pending trial should be replaced Given that last year’s NT solutions by setting justice desecrating sites, but thought it But he said the recommended by alternative measures, such crime figures show falls in both targets and working in did not improve the existing law stop work power would change as close supervision, intensive property crimes (down by 4.8 partnership with Aboriginal in a meaningful way. that. care or placement with a family percent) and motor vehicle communities. “There was a missed (See p.4 for NT parties’ or in an educational setting or theft (down by 12.7 percent), opportunity to strengthen the policies) home,” she said. Mr Giles’ announcement seems 2 August 2016 NEWS NT housing What does land rights mean today? vote looms Peggy Granites THE HEAT of an election campaign Yuendumu may seem a strange time to start consulting about fixing the Territory’s It means everything we know public housing system. about our land and getting our Yet that’s just when Chief Minister land back. It is exciting that Adam Giles wants to begin talks about outsourcing government we can show our young ones responsibility for building, managing what land means to us.