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Cape York leaders say “enough is enough”
by Don De Busch 25 October 2015
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large group of Cape York people stood united on Friday at Laura in Cape York where the bitumen hits the dirt claiming “enough is enough”. United under the Australian and First Nations flags the large group expressed their anger and frustration on behalf of many Cape York residents over the handling of the Native Title Claim 1 by the Cape York Land Council and demanded answers from both State and Federal Governments over lack of consultation and representation. The group spoke with anger and frustration over the lack of transparency and accountability by the Land Council claiming many thousands of Traditional Owners in Cape York have been effectively left out of the claim process. High on the list of concerns is the conflict of interest between the responsibilities of the Cape York Land Council to provide legal advice to all traditional owners and
its own commercial interests in the region. Elder Larry Woosup, elder of the Ankamuthi People, told the meeting he has been fighting for 20 years to have the interests of his people recognised but the Land Council is a closed shop. “They cannot make decisions for country unless it is their country. Land Councils job is to advise on matters connected to native title only” he said. There are thousands of traditional owners in the region yet the Land Council has selected only 9 people as applicants, most of whom were not fully advised or given an opportunity to consult with their people over the implications of the claim. A spokesman for the group says the claim is causing conflict in Cape York as people realise their native title is being used by the Land Council as a veto on vital infrastructure projects such as the upgrade of the Peninsula Development Road. Mary Shephard said the frustration has been growing for some time and today indigenous
and non-indigenous residents of Cape York have linked arms and are united in their determination to make Government sit up and listen to us. “We have worked and lived together for generations, now it is time to stand and speak as one”. One key elder expressed his distress at the deliberate divide between Indigenous and nonIndigenous communities caused by the divisive actions of this situation over many years. In a letter to traditional owners the Land Council stated ‘The key principle in this matter is that it is the traditional owners for each area that continue to speak and make decisions for country according to traditional law and custom.’ The group claims Land Council locks hundreds of people out of the process and shows preference to its supporters. We do not have confidence in the Land Council under their current governance structure as they do not have our best interests at heart and we are increasingly concerned about the relationship between the Cape York Land Council and Cape
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York Partnerships and Balkanu who are controlled by the Pearson brothers and Richie Ahmat. “Hundreds of millions of dollars are poured into Cape York every year by the State and Federal Government under the control of this group and we want to see greater transparency and accountability. The role of the Cape York Land Council as a legal adviser and representative body needs to be independent and without conflicts of interest and as has lost the confidence of Traditional Owners who it is meant to represent.” said Don De Busch, Cape York Alliance Chairperson and Traditional Owner of the Southern Kaanju Peoples. “Today white fellas and black fellas of Cape York stand together, ONE people, ONE voice, ONE cause. For too long the people of Cape York have been trampled by successive Governments who pander to the interest of groups who are neither elected by or representative of us” he said. The current leadership that run Cape York Land Council and Cape York Partnerships also sit on the advisory councils that create State and Federal policy and control of huge amounts of government funding. “How can people who are clearly gaining commercially from this funding be making decisions on behalf of the people at such a high level. It is down right wrong and the Government needs to provide us with answers on how this has been allowed to gain momentum for so many years. We want independent representation,” said Mr Woosup. Indigenous peoples want to speak for their country according to their
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law. They want to be represented by the people they elect and they are entitled to join in the real economy and enjoy a prosperous future. The current Australian Law Reform Commission report on the review of the native Title Act gives clarity to what we want from the matters discussed here. ALRC speaks to promoting sustainable, long-term social, economic and cultural development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Identifying that ‘There are expectations that native title can achieve effective economic and cultural outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in coming years. The identification of native title with sustainable future outcomes suggests that critical components, such as the underpinning rights and governance
structures, will be important for long-term development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’. We are seeking the State and Federal Ministers intervention in the native title claim 1 to make sure no agreements are made without the free prior and informed consent of the appropriate Traditional Owners. We are also seeking a Parliamentary Inquiry into the Cape York Land Council and its association with Cape York Partnerships and Balkanu including the numerous entities connected with them and the State and Federal Government funding they have received”. said Mr De Busch. The group plans to take legal action, hold further mass rallies and pursue politicians at all levels until their demands are met.