Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia, I present the committee's report, incorporating a dissenting report, entitled The engagement of traditional owners in the economic development of northern Australia.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia, I wish to make a few remarks on the committee's report on the engagement of traditional owners in the economic development of northern Australia, which has just been presented. This report has shown that traditional owner communities across northern Australia are striving to participate in the development of the region. They are working for the advancement of their own communities and for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Various forms of Indigenous land tenure provide traditional owners with a range of rights to custodianship. Use of their land is the greatest asset for Indigenous peoples in the north, but the struggle they face is to leverage these rights for economic and social progress. Title to land is by itself not enough. Many Indigenous Australians think that these rights leave them land rich but dirt poor. The bodies representing traditional owners in the land rights and native title systems have a very large burden of responsibility and expectations placed upon them. These bodies have statutory functions to perform, in addition to their roles in advocacy, governance, negotiation and business management.

Despite these critical roles, the financial and capacity building assistance provided by governments is insufficient and creates uncertainty. The committee supports increased financial support as well as secure, long-term funding that is not dependent on annual budget allocations. As a mechanism to provide funding certainty, the committee supports the idea of the establishment of a future fund. It is time that governments acknowledge that native title and land rights bodies are permanent institutions with structural roles in legal and land administration systems.

When looking to future opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the economy of northern Australia, the committee took particular interest in openings in emerging sectors of the economy. There is growing potential in areas such as cultural enterprises and tourism as well as in environmental protection initiatives such as savanna burning, land management, carbon abatement and renewable energy. Opportunities like these have the special strengths of using traditional knowledge of country. They also support efforts to stay connected with country and to fulfil traditional obligations of custodianship. The committee strongly supports the expansion of the Indigenous ranger programs.

Finally, the committee is united in its commitment to the fundamental importance of the principles of free, prior, informed consent, as endorsed by Australia in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These principles must inform all legislative and other arrangements affecting the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

I would like to conclude with some words of thanks. The committee is grateful to the Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations and individuals who made submissions to the inquiry and those who appeared in public hearings. Their contributions were vital to the committee's efforts to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the issues facing traditional owners in northern Australia. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the committee for their involvement in the inquiry and their very constructive contributions to the report and its recommendations. Finally, I'd like to express my appreciation for the hard work of the secretariat in supporting the committee and bringing this inquiry to completion.

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