❓ A parliamentary question accuses the Labor government of misusing taxpayer money through a $40 million native title fund, suggesting it's intended to unfairly favor Aboriginal land claims. The Deputy Premier defends the fund as crucial for economic development and resolving native title claims efficiently.
AnsweredQoN 770Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
My question is to the Deputy Premier who has responsibility for native title, and I refer him to the plethora of crises in Aboriginal communities throughout Western Australia. (1) Why has the government set aside a staggering $40 million slush fund of taxpayers’ money in the native title land and equity fund? (2) Is this clear proof that Labor intends to give in to Aboriginal land claims by Aboriginal communities without full recourse to due process and at massive expense to Aboriginal families and Western Australian taxpayers? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
(1) Why has the government set aside a staggering $40 million slush fund of taxpayers’ money in the native title land and equity fund? (2) Is this clear proof that Labor intends to give in to Aboriginal land claims by Aboriginal communities without full recourse to due process and at massive expense to Aboriginal families and Western Australian taxpayers? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
(2) Is this clear proof that Labor intends to give in to Aboriginal land claims by Aboriginal communities without full recourse to due process and at massive expense to Aboriginal families and Western Australian taxpayers? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
(1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
(1) Why has the government set aside a staggering $40 million slush fund of taxpayers’ money in the native title land and equity fund? (2) Is this clear proof that Labor intends to give in to Aboriginal land claims by Aboriginal communities without full recourse to due process and at massive expense to Aboriginal families and Western Australian taxpayers? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
(2) Is this clear proof that Labor intends to give in to Aboriginal land claims by Aboriginal communities without full recourse to due process and at massive expense to Aboriginal families and Western Australian taxpayers? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: (1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
(1)-(2) Earlier in question time I referred to the traditions of the Liberal Party. Another unfortunate tradition of the Liberal Party is a racist approach to native title. I do not say that unsupported. I have the evidence of a 7-0 decision in the High Court, which found that the Liberal Party’s legislation was contrary to the federal Racial Discrimination Act; in other words, the Liberal Party’s legislation was racist. Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Capel! Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : The land and equity fund is in place to support the economic development of the state. It may have escaped the notice of members opposite that indigenous people have procedural rights under John Howard’s native title legislation. It is not something that we can change; it is John Howard’s legislation. People have rights under that legislation, and they can exercise those rights - Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Dr S.C. Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
The SPEAKER : I call to order for the first time the member for Capel. It is inappropriate to keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : Indigenous people can exercise those procedural rights until their native title claim is resolved. It may take years for a native title claim to be resolved, as people can make a claim in the Federal Court, then appeal to the Full Federal Court and to the High Court. It took more than nine years for the Miriuwung-Gajerrong claim to be resolved. Therefore, there is an advantage - Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : I am trying to answer the first question, and I have been hit with another six questions. Let me answer the first question. If members opposite want to ask me another question, they can get to their feet. It appears that the strategy is that I am the minister who will be asked all the questions today; therefore, members opposite will have more of an opportunity - Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Several members interjected. Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr J.A. McGinty interjected. Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : I thank the Attorney General for that interjection. I am looking forward to the rest of question time, but I want to take questions one at a time, please. Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Dr S.C. Thomas : Will you take an interjection? Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
Mr E.S. RIPPER : The member for Capel should wait until he hears the answer to the first question before he asks the seventh! This is the issue: people can exercise their procedural rights for a long period. That can be contrary to the economic interests of the state. It is in the economic interests of the state to resolve these native title claims as soon as possible. That means we need to negotiate with people. When we negotiate with people and ask them to give up their native title rights, they may say that they want a little stake in the economic development of their region or they want a piece of land transferred to them. Therefore, the land and equity fund is there to support those negotiations, and both the negotiations and the fund are there to support the economic development of the state. Our government is committed to the economic development of the state. That is what our infrastructure program and the investment in improving the approvals system are about. Many activities of the government support economic development. This is just another of them.
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