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The Central Land Council said today that signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the Indigenous Pastoral Program (IPP) will significantly boost Aboriginal employment and economic development in Central Australia.
“These are exactly the sorts of programs we need to build the bush and get Aboriginal people back into work and on the path to a better future,” CLC Director David Ross said.
The IPP is a partnership between the Indigenous Land Corporation, the CLC, the NLC, the Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mining, the NT Cattleman's Association and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
It is the second MOU signed under the program and will run for five years.
“The first MOU signed in 2003 was an unqualified success. It laid some solid foundations and under that agreement we granted grazing licenses on Aboriginal land to a number of pastoralists in exchange for employment, infrastructure and support for Aboriginal cattlemen,” Mr Ross said.
“The CLC region covers a massive 750,000 square kilometres and the resources, advice and skills that this partnership brings to help us encourage Aboriginal enterprise and employment in the pastoral industry is invaluable.
“Aboriginal people in the bush and the entire Territory pastoral industry will benefit from it.”
Mr Ross said it was significant that the NT Cattleman's Association had joined the partnership.
“I think this is the first time that we have ever stood together in a spirit of cooperation and equity with the other significant stakeholders in land in the Northern Territory – the pastoralists,” he said.
“The CLC has moved to a focus on land management and the NT Cattleman's Association, who were often our most trenchant and hardened foes, have now recognised that land rights are here to stay.
“This is a great step forward. and I warmly welcome the NTCA and our other new partner, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
“We all recognise that there is much to be gained by working for a common purpose and much to be lost if we do not,” Mr Ross said.
August 19 2006
