Central Land Council
in this section
CLC Press Releases
- 14 Augyust 2008 2008
- Communities have their say on intervention ›› more
- 31 July 2008 2008
- Fairfax news in bad taste ›› more
- 24 July 2008 2008
- election: accountability needed ›› more
- 17 July 2008 2008
- Royal commission needed into NT funding ›› more
- 11 July 2008 2008
- Simpson Desert: the last land rights claim under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act ›› more
- 8 July 2008 2008
- Sacred site damage at Wilora ›› more
- 30 May 2008
- Seal the Mereenie Loop Road Now ›› more
- 27 May 2008
- Angela Pamela Negotiations ›› more
- 9 May 2008
- Angela Pamela and the native title process ›› more
- 18 February 2008
- Coalition should support permit system ›› more
- 15 February 2008
- Politicians threaten to derail fresh start ›› more
- 22 January 2008
- Police ignorance upsets Lajamanu community ›› more
- 26 November 2007
- Optimism for a fresh consensual approach on Aboriginal affairs ›› more
- 21 November 2007
- Concerns over Central Petroleum tactics ›› more
March 6 2003
Traditional owners, the Central Land Council and Santos Ltd
have renewed an agreement covering the Mereenie Oil and Gas Field on the
Haasts Bluff Aboriginal Land Trust, west of Hermannsburg in Central Australia.
The agreement was signed today at Kulpitjara, an outstation on the Land Trust.
The 21 year-old agreement for the area recently expired and the new agreement will incorporate sacred site protection and increased employment opportunities for the traditional owners.
It will run for a further 21 years and employment and enterprise development along the Mereenie Loop Road are key features.
The Mereenie Oil and Gas Field and Palm Valley, also Aboriginal land, have supplied all of the Northern Territory’s gas requirements for many years.
Central Land Council director David Ross said that it was yet another example of the strengths of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act.
"For 21 years this agreement has been in place and the project has produced oil and supplied the Northern Territory with gas.
"I don’t think the people who criticise the Land Rights Act so much for holding up mining actually ever realised that their entire gas needs were supplied from Aboriginal land," Mr Ross said.
"However, while the gas flowed to industry and into homes all over the Northern Territory all these years, not one Aboriginal person has ever been employed for all that time. Hopefully this new agreement will herald a more socially responsible and equitable era for Santos.
"The durability of these sort of agreements allows all parties to have confidence in the future of resource development on Aboriginal land, he said.
"The companies know they can proceed without any unforeseen problems with the agreement down the track, and the traditional owners are assured that sacred sites will be protected and other environmental concerns will be addressed.
"They also see some opportunities for themselves in regard to employment and enterprise and an increased ability to maintain their outstations.
"We’re very pleased to see resource development on Aboriginal land in Central Australia continue to prosper.
"Mining and exploration on our land contributes more than a billion dollars to the Northern Territory economy every year," Mr Ross said.