David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

I am very respectful of Senator Crossin’s opinions on these matters. She has done a lot of work in this regard. But can I say that this is not about anthropologists and lawyers; it is about the constituents of these rep bodies. Mirimbiak in Victoria collapsed. The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council handed its recognition back. The Pilbara land council was replaced. The Carpentaria Land Council is under external administration. Only 18 months ago five rep bodies had funding controls in place. The system is clearly in need of greater accountability. This is not about the processes; it is about commanding outcomes. This is about greater involvement through accountability measures to satisfy those people that Senator Crossin knows are out there saying, ‘What has native title delivered for us?’

According to Senator Crossin’s view, everybody out there is very happy with native title. It may be that some of the people who have now received a favourable determination in the Northern Territory, where she comes from, are happy. But I can tell her that amongst the other claimants, under some 600 claims, it is very hard to find anybody who says that the system is working well. It is all very well to say that we do not need accountability, but that is at the nub of the problem. These changes go a long way towards fixing the problem.