Central Land Council

David Ross

Director Central Land Council

Keynote Speech

Australian Rangelands Biennial Conference July 2004

"Achievements and challenges for Indigenous people in Australian rangelands"

Introduction

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land on which we stand, the Mparntarinya people, the original owners of a very special part of the Australian rangelands that we are here to speak about.

It is very pleasing, if not a little overdue, to see that the Australian Rangelands Society has included an Indigenous session in their conference programme, and it is entirely appropriate too given that title to more than 16 per cent of the area defined as 'rangelands' across Australia has been returned to the ownership and control of its traditional owners, and native title is likely to remain over a large proportion of the balance.

Here in the Territory, in particular in central Australia, Aboriginal people are the major stakeholder in the 'rangelands' with 51 % or approx. 400,000 square kilometres of the Central Land Council region, under their ownership in a variety of forms.

The CLC represents about 18,000 Aboriginal people in the southern half of the Northern Territory , residing in over 75 communities and outstations. As a small aside, we are celebrating our 30 th Birthday in October this year.

I would like to emphasise that today's theme of "Achievements and challenges for Indigenous people in Australian rangelands" has much in common with the challenges facing any member of the Rangelands community

On many issues we have shared frustrations and problems, these include:

• remoteness
• the "downsizing" of banking, postal and other services that most urban-dwellers take for granted.
• the constant reinvention and regrouping of government functions under new acronyms with new jargon,
• high prices for goods and services and
• difficulties in recruiting suitably skilled and committed professionals (eg. doctors, nurses, teachers, administrators)

These are all matters which have the capacity to threaten the confidence of those who wish to live in and prosper from the rangelands – Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike. Together we face the challenge of restoring and maintaining the environmental and spiritual health of the landscape that we all depend on – captured these days in the term 'Landcare'.

However, Aboriginal people living on the rangelands face a complex and tangled array of additional problems:

lack of participation in the decision-making processes affecting their lives and their future

Uncertainties and delays in the provision and maintenance of essential services eg. health, education and communication

Frustrations in gaining support for strategies to address urban drift ..youth disillusionment, substance abuse, youth suicide etc.

Developing sustainable livelihoods for remote communities

Maintaining and preserving Aboriginal law and culture.

Issues such as social support, essential services and governance are central to any discussion about the rangelands. For many, the 'Australian Rangelands' may primarily be viewed as a vast expanse of great biophysical significance or pastoral opportunity, but while perhaps obvious to most, it is beyond any doubt that the rangelands needs its people as much as people need the rangelands. So – viable communities and sustainable livelihoods are integral to the rangelands .

Aboriginal people attempt to convey their deep and long-standing attachment to their country to the wider community with phrases such as 'OUR LAND IS OUR LIFE'. I also acknowledge that there are many non-Aboriginal families around Australia that have a passionate bond with farms and stations that have been in their families for successive generations. Indeed, government policies, funding arrangements, research priorities and national 'folklore' have long acknowledged the role of non-Aboriginal people on the rangelands…and every effort is made to keep non-Aboriginal people on their stations and pastoral properties.

I can assure you that there is no equal commitment to ensuring Aboriginal people stay in remote communities and outstations across the rangelands. Recent national media and commentary, such as we hear from the Bennelong Society, suggests that there is little future for Aboriginal people on their lands and a growing perception that Aboriginal people would be better off in towns and urban centres.

Aboriginal people in Central Australia have no where else to go, nor do they wish to be anywhere else. They have strong social, economic and cultural reasons for continuing to live on their traditional lands. They are generally permanent residents of their communities and have an increasing population. The non-Aboriginal population on the other hand exhibits a high turnover rate, particularly in the NT where many only reside for short periods.

The social and environmental consequences of failed government policies of the past which removed Aboriginal people from their country are well-researched and well-documented so I won't labour the point here – I will simply highlight one example of the impacts of this de-population of the rangelands.

The removal of Aboriginal people from traditional lands throughout central Australia by massacre, forced relocation and a progressive demographic drift into government settlements had profound social, cultural and environmental consequences. For example, the end of traditional burning patterns left the land vulnerable to sweeping wildfires which quickly changed the vegetation into simple, fire-tolerant forms. Fruiting plants and other resources vital for many mammals and birds were decimated. Dramatic structural changes of this kind in turn led to the decline and, in many cases, the demise of a substantial number of desert animals.

Removal of Aboriginal people and their practices from the land can be directly linked to declining biodiversity in the rangelands.

It is important to note that while this country was a healthy ecosystem with its myriad range of flora and fauna, for the most part, it was by the standards of the day considered too marginal for economic activity such as horticulture and pastoralism and remained with the Crown as Reserves.

This is why that land was able to be granted to Aboriginal people under the Land Rights Act – it was no good for anybody else. Ironically, it appears now that Aboriginal people are blamed under those same standards that applied nearly a century ago for not extracting a decent living off this land.

Luckily the world has moved on. Agricultural methods have changed, technology has advanced and at least some recognise that making this country economically sustainable for Aboriginal people and extracting a decent living is difficult but not impossible. But it's going to take creative and strategic thought.

There are some positive stories to be told.

In the Tanami alone, more than $10 million will be spent this year on gold exploration. In the entire CLC region, we currently have 46 agreements covering more than 31,000 square kilometres of Aboriginal land. In addition to the financial benefits Aboriginal people are being placed into employment with the assistance of agencies such as the CLC's Mining Employment Unit;

New partnerships are being formed to undertake major horticultural developments on Aboriginal land in Central Australia between traditional owners and private enterprise through the recently established Centrefarm Aboriginal Corporation;

Renewed focus is being given to training, employment and economic return from sustainable pastoral activity on Aboriginal land under a tripartite agreement between the NT Department of Business, Industry, Research and Development (DBIRD), the ILC and the Land Councils;

Tourism is of increasing interest to Aboriginal landowners as a future for them and their families on their own country. Collaboration is also being pursued in this area with agencies such as the NT Tourist Commission.

The path to a sustainable livelihood for Aboriginal people on their own country is by no means a clear one and I do not pretend to have all the answers to the many challenges involved. I do know that it will not happen overnight – there is no room for a 'cut and run' approach.

Aboriginal landowners and managers across the rangelands face major constraints in addressing the natural resource management issues affecting their land :

• Sparse population – vast tracts of Aboriginal land in Central Australia , for example, have fewer than 1 person per 22 km 2 , and in some areas no people remain on the land;
• The drift into larger towns from remote communities severely strains the capacity for Aboriginal families and traditional land-holding groups to maintain links with specific areas of their land;
• Limited community awareness of the scale and impact of environmental changes – such as fire regimes, weed invasion and feral animal damage.
• Older people with valuable knowledge are passing away
• The lack of resourced organisations to deal with these emerging environmental problems in the ground;
• Growing pressure for development and increased access.
• Lack of adequate financial resources – I'll come back to this important point later.

But the good news is. that many Aboriginal communities, both in the top-end and increasingly in central Australia , are pursuing an active land management role on their land.

Maintaining law and culture is the key driving force behind Aboriginal community land management initiatives. Aboriginal people in our region want to stay on their land and want their kids to carry on their traditional obligations to it. Such programs are growing in their significance as a means of achieving this by invigorating on-ground activity and access across Aboriginal land and providing employment options for younger family members on their own country.

Not surprisingly the task of addressing the range of NRM issues on Aboriginal land is huge and will require considerable resources and co-ordination. At the local level – here in the centre – the Central Land Council is a key player in this process, and in the area of enterprise development that I spoke of earlier.

More typically recognised for their role in the broader land rights struggle…land claims…negotiations with mining companies.. advocacy with government on Aboriginal rights etc., it is perhaps less appreciated that the Land Rights Act gives Land Councils prominent functions with respect to assisting landowners regarding land management and economic development.

When I started work with the CLC in 1979 the focus understandably was fighting for Aboriginal rights and getting land back. Litigation was, and continued for many years, to be the response of choice of successive Territory Governments. Consequently significant resources were diverted to defending those claims, land was returned to Aboriginal people at a snail's pace and there was little focus on land management issues.

By 1983 however, the esteemed 'Nuggett' Coombes recommended in a review of the organisation that a land management advisory unit be created within the Council's structure. Over the past twenty-one (21) years our priorities have gradually shifted as more land claims were resolved and more land was returned.

From two positions in 1983, the CLC now has a Land Management Section of 20 staff dealing with a wide range of issues including:

• fire, feral animal, weed control and biodiversity conservation
• water resource issues on Aboriginal land
• joint management of national parks, heritage protection and indigenous protected areas (IPA)
• enterprise development – tourism, pastoral activity, feral camel harvesting
• soil conservation, infrastructure placement and other community living area issues
• community 'ranger' programme planning and development,
• training & employment opportunities in mining, land management and pastoral development.

But representative agencies such as the Central Land Council can only do so much in facilitating enterprise development and land management on Aboriginal land.

For the Central Land Council, there are five key priority areas requiring urgent action from governments and rangelands stakeholders:

1. Rangelands need their people – Governments need to empower and equip the human capital that exists where the problems exist. Rangelands on Aboriginal lands need to be managed by Aboriginal people. We need to focus on tangible outcomes, such as keeping people on their land, managing their land. Education and training opportunities need to be targeted toward this to support sustainable enterprises, in a healthy landscape, contributing to keeping Aboriginal culture and identity alive.
2. Support for local initiatives – The high level of support, participation and community ownership of Aboriginal land (and sea) management initiatives occurring across the Territory demonstrates the success of these types of activities. They build individual confidence and community self-esteem and provide rare but critical employment opportunities. Particularly for remote areas, active land management programs may well be the most viable form of employment, providing vital skills, services, infrastructure and a potential basis for emerging new enterprises.
3. Strategic approach – Regional planning now occurring under the Commonwealth's NHT banner is admittedly aiming to lay the framework for a more strategic approach to these issues across the whole community. However n o effective and coordinated approach exists yet within government to support Aboriginal land management programs nor is there a dedicated funding stream to allow establishment and on-going support for exciting and innovative Aboriginal community-based land management initiatives.
4. Collaboration - The National Land & Water Resources Audit report "Rangelands - Tracking Changes" identifies the need for collaboration and partnerships with Aboriginal people and their organisations. There are very positive signs of that now occurring. For example:
   • Negotiations between the government, traditional owners and land councils over the past two years over joint management arrangements in Territory national parks
   • Mining companies, such as Newmont Mining , are engaging directly with the CLC to establish wildlife monitoring programmes in the Tanami region to assess specific and cumulative impacts of mining in that region.
   • Programmes such as this and environmental management and rehabilitation works at existing mines in the Tanami provide employment opportunities for community 'ranger' programmes operating in Lajamanu and Yuendumu.
5. Long-term secure funding base - Lastly, the above priority areas will be completely useless without a commitment to a long-term secure funding base. The opportunity now exists for the Territory Government, and perhaps other significant stakeholders in the rangelands, to invest more resources and strategic support for these programs across Aboriginal lands. A secure long-term funding program is required to remove them from the ongoing precarious funding environment in which they operate.

I would ask that this conference resolves to support these five specific priority areas as part of the outcomes of this conference.

In conclusion I want to ask one simple thing – that the ARS and all stakeholders present will commit to policies and actions which ensure that Aboriginal landowners are recognised and supported in their endeavours to live on country and play their part in ensuring we have vibrant, healthy and productive rangelands.

Thank You.