❓ The Minister outlines the benefits of the Yamatji Indigenous Land Use Agreement, including financial compensation, land transfer, and business development support, highlighting its significance and innovative nature.
AnsweredQoN 47Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
YAMATJI INDIGENOUS LAND USE AGREEMENT
47. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs:
I refer to the historic Indigenous
land use agreement that this government signed with the Yamatji native title
community last week.
(1) Can the minister outline to the
house what this agreement means for the Yamatji people?
(2) What economic and social benefits
will this agreement deliver to that community?
47. Ms J. FARRER to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs:
I refer to the historic Indigenous
land use agreement that this government signed with the Yamatji native title
community last week.
(1) Can the minister outline to the
house what this agreement means for the Yamatji people?
(2) What economic and social benefits
will this agreement deliver to that community?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Those
in the house yesterday may have heard my brief ministerial statement about what
I think will be the most innovative and
significant native title outcome in Australia. It is not as large a scale as
the Noongar native title, but certainly it is an extremely innovative
outcome for a very complicated native title. For those who have been following
it, and I know that the Deputy Premier was very keen to see this outcome, of the five claims that were settled as part of
the agreement, some have been in the Federal Court of Australia since 1998—a long time. A lot of people
have passed away on that journey but this is without doubt a very
significant agreement. The recognition of the non-exclusive native title rights
over a number of culturally significant land parcels includes, of course, the
right to live and camp on the land and to visit and maintain sites of
significance, and to hunt, fish, take resources, conduct ceremonies and invite
others onto that land. There were two components. The court judgement
recognised the native title and the Yamatji Nation Indigenous Land Use
Agreement has been some two years in negotiation. It is worth over $440 million
and includes $325 million in cash, the transfer of commercial land, tourism
opportunities, access to housing properties for sale, leasing or development,
and a strategic Aboriginal water reserve for use, lease or trade. Importantly,
we are providing a business development unit to help the Yamatji people and corporations establish or develop their own
businesses. The key to this process will be in the implementation . The
government partnership committee will be co-chaired by a director or the CEO of
the prescribed body corporate and the deputy director general of the Department
of the Premier and Cabinet. This is very important to ensure that the benefits
are rolled out over time.
This process started in August 2017
with our initial offer from the state. I appeared with the state negotiating
team a couple of times before the Federal Court to ensure that this progressed
in a timely manner. I want to acknowledge the traditional owner negotiating
team comprising 12 members of the Yamatji leadership who were incredibly
sophisticated and determined to ensure that they negotiated with the state a very
good outcome, and that has certainly been the case. I want to acknowledge as
well on the state side two people: Debbie Fletcher, who led the state
negotiating team and came up with what I think is an outstanding outcome; and
Kate Alderton, the head of the Aboriginal policy coordination unit in
government. By way of an aside, the old Department of Aboriginal Affairs has
been replaced and I think the member for Dawesville is officially the one
person in Western Australia who wants that back, going by his question in
question time today.
I want to make one final comment
around native title. As we enter the phase now that sees the rise of prescribed
body corporates and, in due course, the end of representative bodies, as is
appropriate, it has been a very productive time in native title. Over three
years of McGowan governance, we have resolved 47
native title claims, 41 of which were by consent. These determinations cover
551 000 square kilometres . I do not make this by way of a critical
comment, but it will give members some context. In three years, we have
resolved 47 native title claims. In eight and a half years under the former
government—I am not saying it was bad—there were 41 claims. We
have really lifted the effort around consent determinations ensuring that
native title is resolved. We are now in the scenario in which we know that
there is a compensation liability on state governments, the exact nature of
which is still subject to, I suspect, a few more High Court decisions. This,
for the Yamatji people, will be incredibly significant. For the people of
Geraldton in their entirety in the midwest—make no mistake—this
is an economic stimulus package. This means that the Yamatji people are right
in the guts of economic decisions in the midwest and every single person who
lives there will benefit from this outcome
in the house yesterday may have heard my brief ministerial statement about what
I think will be the most innovative and
significant native title outcome in Australia. It is not as large a scale as
the Noongar native title, but certainly it is an extremely innovative
outcome for a very complicated native title. For those who have been following
it, and I know that the Deputy Premier was very keen to see this outcome, of the five claims that were settled as part of
the agreement, some have been in the Federal Court of Australia since 1998—a long time. A lot of people
have passed away on that journey but this is without doubt a very
significant agreement. The recognition of the non-exclusive native title rights
over a number of culturally significant land parcels includes, of course, the
right to live and camp on the land and to visit and maintain sites of
significance, and to hunt, fish, take resources, conduct ceremonies and invite
others onto that land. There were two components. The court judgement
recognised the native title and the Yamatji Nation Indigenous Land Use
Agreement has been some two years in negotiation. It is worth over $440 million
and includes $325 million in cash, the transfer of commercial land, tourism
opportunities, access to housing properties for sale, leasing or development,
and a strategic Aboriginal water reserve for use, lease or trade. Importantly,
we are providing a business development unit to help the Yamatji people and corporations establish or develop their own
businesses. The key to this process will be in the implementation . The
government partnership committee will be co-chaired by a director or the CEO of
the prescribed body corporate and the deputy director general of the Department
of the Premier and Cabinet. This is very important to ensure that the benefits
are rolled out over time.
This process started in August 2017
with our initial offer from the state. I appeared with the state negotiating
team a couple of times before the Federal Court to ensure that this progressed
in a timely manner. I want to acknowledge the traditional owner negotiating
team comprising 12 members of the Yamatji leadership who were incredibly
sophisticated and determined to ensure that they negotiated with the state a very
good outcome, and that has certainly been the case. I want to acknowledge as
well on the state side two people: Debbie Fletcher, who led the state
negotiating team and came up with what I think is an outstanding outcome; and
Kate Alderton, the head of the Aboriginal policy coordination unit in
government. By way of an aside, the old Department of Aboriginal Affairs has
been replaced and I think the member for Dawesville is officially the one
person in Western Australia who wants that back, going by his question in
question time today.
I want to make one final comment
around native title. As we enter the phase now that sees the rise of prescribed
body corporates and, in due course, the end of representative bodies, as is
appropriate, it has been a very productive time in native title. Over three
years of McGowan governance, we have resolved 47
native title claims, 41 of which were by consent. These determinations cover
551 000 square kilometres . I do not make this by way of a critical
comment, but it will give members some context. In three years, we have
resolved 47 native title claims. In eight and a half years under the former
government—I am not saying it was bad—there were 41 claims. We
have really lifted the effort around consent determinations ensuring that
native title is resolved. We are now in the scenario in which we know that
there is a compensation liability on state governments, the exact nature of
which is still subject to, I suspect, a few more High Court decisions. This,
for the Yamatji people, will be incredibly significant. For the people of
Geraldton in their entirety in the midwest—make no mistake—this
is an economic stimulus package. This means that the Yamatji people are right
in the guts of economic decisions in the midwest and every single person who
lives there will benefit from this outcome
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