Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis, you know very well that there are disputes over that, and I know where the South West Land and Sea Council stand. I have a lot of sympathy for their argument. In fact at the inquiry, they raised concerns that it did not go far enough for them. They have to go through that application process, which you have just articulated, again. Yes, they agree, but they want it to go further. I know they have some issues there, but they do want to see the passage of the bill. I also know very strongly, because I have spoken to people, and they are the groups of claimants who took the court case in the first place.

To answer my question by simply quoting the South West Land and Sea Council does not answer my question at all. You know very well we are here right now is because of the group of people who took the action in the Supreme Court in the first place, and that is now the McGlade decision. You know very well that there is a group of people who do not agree with where we are at in the South West of WA. I am not seeking to prosecute that argument here, but I am using it as a clear example of claimants' concerns about the extinguishment of native title. It is one of the key issues that has been raised with me as the reason they do not agree. As I said, I am not seeking to prosecute that discussion here—it is not my place to do so. I am raising it as an example of why extinguishment of native title is a really important issue, when there has not been a consensus decision on it.