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ANTaR Update # 36 (Monday 20 April, 1998)
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CONTENTS:
1. How They Voted on Wik
******************** [The following is a useful summary produced by the Greens, of the main points of the recent vote on the Native Title Amendment Bill in the Senate]. "The bill as amended by the Senate is marginally better than that passed in December 1997. But it remains far from the benchmark set by the National Indigenous Working Group in their famous yellow booklet "Coexistence - Negotiation and Certainty" (April 1997) and close to the Government's 10 point plan. THE BILL AS A WHOLE:
GREENS: voted against RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ACT: The RDA makes discrimination on the basis of race unlawful and protects the common law rights of indigenous Australians. Strong RDA amendments proposed by the Greens and Democrats were voted down. The weak RDA amendment which was passed would not strike out clauses of the bill which are clearly discriminatory; it would merely favour a non-discriminatory interpretation where there is doubt.
GREENS: voted for the strong RDA amendment LEASE UPGRADES: The government and Sen Harradine combined to defeat amendments to give native title holders the right to negotiate about upgrades to pastoral leases. This would leave pastoralists (including some of Australia's richest people) able to clear, cultivate, put in crops and irrigation, grow plantations, log and woodchip, construct dams, weirs and canals, extract sand and gravel, and put in tourism developments without any say by indigenous title holders. The government, ALP and Sen Harradine also defeated an attempt by the Greens and Democrats to include the right to negotiate about the use and development of rivers and watercourses.
GREENS: voted for the right to negotiate on lease upgrades and water
rights; MINING ON PASTORAL LEASES:
GREENS: voted for the right to negotiate on exploration and mining; REGISTRATION (THRESHOLD) TEST: The government and Sen Harradine initially combined to prevent spiritual connection to the land from being recognised as a valid precondition for gaining the right to negotiate on the use or development of that land. This was reserved at the last moment when Sen Harradine changed his vote the second time around.
GREENS: voted for spiritual connection as part of the threshold test; SUNSET CLAUSE: The government's bill put a 6-year sunset clause on native title claims, which was defeated.
GREENS: opposed the sunset clause;
************************************* The ACT Greens are hosting a Public Meeting: MAI- YOUR FUTURE AS A CORPORATE CONSUMER? The Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) has profound implications for the environment, social justice, for cultural industries, industrial relations, for indigenous rights and democracy itself. Speakers:
Krysti Guest - Human Rights and International Law Expert Public Submissions are due to the Joint Standing Commitee on Treaties by 30th April, 1998.
********************************** Are you a unionist and an ANTaR supporter? Come and march with ANTaR in this year's May Day Parade. We will be wearing our gorgeous ANTaR tshirts and holding up several hands each from the Sea of Hnads, so that we contribute a coluorful contigent of people who support native title and the rights of workers!! Why not organise a contigent of your workmates and family and march with us. What to do: Please email back if you would like to participate so we can anticpate numbers and arrange for extra tshirts if you don't already have one.
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Community Aid Abroad 6257 4472 (bh), or ANTaR - Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation *****Please forward this message on to other interested people******
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