Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

When the debate was adjourned, I indicated that Labor was not inclined to support Democrat amendment (4) which relates to establishing, effectively, an Indigenous consultative land council. It seemed to me that the amendment would put a barrier in front of Indigenous people who owned their land to negotiate leases beyond the arrangement set out in this bill. The amendment would act as a barrier to their choosing what they wanted to do with their property rights, which are not encumbered by this bill. It also seemed to me that the amendment was not actually helpful to Senator Bartlett’s and the Democrats’ general objectives. It puts in another committee, which includes representatives of the federal and Northern Territory governments, that has to be consulted before the owners of the property right have a right to exercise their right to enter into lease arrangements over their land. That does not make a terrible amount of sense. I might have missed something but it seems to me that it does not improve the bill at all; in fact, it only adds to the confusion and seeks to limit the rights of Indigenous owners in a way that acts against their interests while the Commonwealth holds the five-year lease. So Labor is not inclined to support it.