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
June 3 2004
The Central Land Council says a report from the Menzies Research Centre, which calls for radical changes to the Northern Territory Aboriginal Land Rights Act, relies more on stale old platitudes than fact.
"I'm surprised any institution calling itself a research centre would release such rubbish", Mr Ross said.
CLC Director David Ross said Mr Beadman, a senior bureaucrat for many years in the Northern Territory , contributes nothing to the current predicament of Aboriginal people.
"Beadman's paper has a massive blind spot," Mr Ross said. "He hasn't examined the wider government policy impacts on health and education. I suspect all he has done is read the Collins Report and nothing else. His comments on Aboriginal education do nothing to progress the issue," Mr Ross said.
"He says he was involved in process for 35 years - much of that under a CLP government so he, of all people, should know why it turned out so poorly"
"Beadman does not seem to have any insights to offer on the effects of 27 years of CLP government in the NT. Didn't that government have any responsibility for the miserable state of affairs he depicts? Education under that Government was so neglected that generations of children are now adults with no literacy skills and no chance of employment.
"True to form, Mr Beadman turns his sights on the Land Rights Act and peddles that tired old line that it holds up development and business.
"Obviously Mr Beadman hasn't heard of leases on Aboriginal land. The Alice to Darwin railway and the mines in Tennant Creek and the Tanami are on leases and have no trouble raising capital.
"Aboriginal land is mostly arid and remote with small populations and the Land Council receives few requests for business enterprises on Aboriginal land. Country towns all over Australia are dying, but for some reason, when it comes to remote NT Aboriginal communities, it is apparently only the Land Rights Act which prevents them being thriving little commercial centres," he said.