Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment Bill 2006

The majority voted in favour of a motion "That the words proposed to be omitted (Mr Snowdon’s amendment) stand part of the question." This means that the words that Labor MP Warren Snowdon had wanted to omit will remain unchanged and so Mr Snowdon's amendment was unsuccessful.

Mr Snowdon's amendment would have amended the original motion "That the bill be read a second time" with the following:

That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words: “whilst welcoming many measures contained in the bill including the mining and exploration provisions, the House is of the opinion that some other provisions of this bill: _(1) undermine the integrity of the Principal Act by eroding the rights of traditional owners and the independence of land councils;_ _(2) are a recipe for uncertainty for development on Aboriginal land;_ (3) should be withdrawn and redrafted to provide a more balanced approach that ensures: (a) the informed consent of traditional owners to major changes; (b) that traditional owners as land owners are not unfairly constrained in optimising their financial and other benefits under the 99 year lease; (c) the better promotion and facilitation of economic development on Aboriginal land including home ownership opportunities for Aboriginal people; (d) the protection of traditional owners’ rights to control access and development on their own land; and (e) the maintenance of the independence and viability of land councils to defend and pursue the interests of traditional owners and other Aboriginal people living on Aboriginal land.”

Background to the bill

The bill was introduced to amend the _ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005_ and the _ Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976_ to:(Read more about the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 here. )

• increase access to Aboriginal land for development, especially exploration and mining;
• facilitate the leasing of Aboriginal land and the mortgaging of leases;
• provide for a tenure system for townships on Aboriginal land that will allow individuals to have property rights;
• devolve decision-making powers to regional Aboriginal communities;
• clarify provisions for the establishment of new Land Councils;
• increase accountability of Land Councils and incorporated bodies which receive payments for the use of Aboriginal land and provide for funding on the basis of workloads; and
• dispose of land claims which cannot be heard or finalised or which are clearly inappropriate to grant.(Read more about the bill here. More information is available in the bills digest.)

According to the bill's explanatory memorandum, this bill implements reforms drawn from three reviews of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 conducted over the last nine years.

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