Central Land Council

The Land is Always Alive

National Land Rights

When the Hawke Government came to power in 1983 it promised strong national land rights based on the standard established in the Northern Territory. Two years later Aboriginal organisations were confronted with a weakened Preferred Model for National Land Rights that would undercut the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. For Aboriginal people in states like Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia it was an inadequate offer, but for the traditional owners of the Northern Territory it threatened to wind back the clock.

The Northern Territory Land Councils were united in their opposition to the proposal. In just two weeks the chairmen of the Central, Northern and Tiwi Land Councils travelled thousands of kilometres to inform and consult every major Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory. 'The response of Aboriginal people was adamant', reported CLC Chairman Stan Scrutton.

'We must fight to keep the old law, and do everything possible to stop the Labor Government from destroying existing rights.'

Only the concerted efforts of Aboriginal groups from all around the country prevented the weakened model from being imposed. A convoy of buses, Land Cruisers and a truck carried 200 people from Alice Springs to Canberra to join a thousand others in the first land rights protest in the national capital for over ten years. They marched on Parliament House and later occupied the office of Charles Perkins, then Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, demanding to speak to Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Clyde Holding.

Eventually Mr Hawke agreed to postpone the legislation to allow further consultations. Ten months later the Commonwealth abandoned its national land rights legislation. Unfortunately it was a victory for the miners and pastoralists and state governments rather than the Land Councils. The Hawke Government had decided to leave land rights legislation to the states. The imminent threat of the Preferred Model was gone but the land rights movement was on the defensive and the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act was under threat.