Given this diversity of title, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) uses the term «legal
Indigenous land interest» to describe the range of legal relationships to land.
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) usefully uses the term «Legal
Indigenous land interest» to describe this land.5 The following table from Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Key Indicators 2005 shows the details of Indigenous land interests (not including native title) on a State and Territory basis:
During the Minister's address, the following comments were made in relation to
Indigenous land interests: «We do need to ask ourselves why, when Indigenous Australia theoretically controls such a large proportion of the Australian land mass, they are themselves so poor.
Prime Minister addresses Reconciliation Workshop and discusses the prospect of changes to
Indigenous land interests to support home ownership
Not exact matches
I'm not in, or an apologist for, the industry; I'm just
interested in a reasonable scientific debate on an activity that seems to have the potential to add a great deal of value (including in disadvantaged
indigenous communities if the resources are on Native Title
lands) and enhance Australian energy security.
In Madre de Dios, Peru,
indigenous communities resisted powerful gold mining
interests to maintain control of their
land.
The government «is keenly
interested in bringing the conflicts in
indigenous lands to an end,» he says.
These spiritual tours are for people
interested in personal growth and healing, and who wish to connect with the spiritual energy of the
land, as well as those who wish to learn more about
Indigenous culture.
She and Cáceres are impoverished
indigenous women in remote places, working to defend their
land against the
interests of corporate power in places where the rule of law is weak and there is little, if any, accountability for violence.
It must also further the goal of reconciliation of
Indigenous peoples» rights and
interests with the Crown's assertion of sovereignty over
Indigenous lands.
In many cases the consent of a Minister is needed to grant leases or create third party
interests in
Indigenous land.
The High Court rejected this approach of not recognising
Indigenous interests in
land because their «usage and conceptions of rights and duties» were irreconcilable with «rights of property as we know them».
The criteria for determining the relationship between
Indigenous and non-
Indigenous interests on the same
land at common law fail to provide for the co-existence of these
interests
In the context of both national and international
interests in the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity,
Indigenous peoples as custodians have a responsibility to ensure the integrity and maintenance of ecosystems on our
lands and waters.
It also works against sharing the
land between
Indigenous and non-
Indigenous interests, because it ensures that
Indigenous rights always lose out.
Instead the search for equivalence in the common law's translation of
Indigenous culture should be aimed at the level of protection that the common law gives to
Indigenous relationships to
land compared with the protection it gives to non-
Indigenous interests in
land.
Given there were an estimated 250
Indigenous societies and languages at the time of British settlement, 127 it is no surprise that traditional laws and customs vary between Aboriginal societies, creating an array of
interests and rights in
land and water.
Another mechanism provided within the NTA is the
Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) provisions, particularly those in relation to area agreements.50 Of particular relevance is section 24CB (c) that provides for ILUAs about «the relationship between native title rights and
interests and other rights and
interests in relation to the area»51 This section envisages native title as part of a range of
interests that exist within a region.
The Human Rights Committee, following its concerns with the 1998 amendments, recommended «that the necessary steps should be taken to restore and protect the titles and
interests of
Indigenous persons in their native
lands, including by considering amending anew the Native Title Act, taking into account these concerns», (28 July 2000) UN document CCPR / CO / 69 / AUS, para 10.
She teaches & researches in
land law and has a particular
interest in property law as it affects
Indigenous Australians and women.
At the same time there is implicit in the translation process a recognition that exact equivalence between the
Indigenous relationship to
land and a common law
interest in
land can never be found.
The extinguishment test is the test that ultimately determines the level of protection granted to
Indigenous interests in
land.
This chapter focuses on framework agreements as an opportunity for both
Indigenous and non-
Indigenous parties to settle upon a set of standards for the co-existence of their
interests in
land.
For example, much of the output of the
Indigenous arts industry, a market activity that generates much tourist
interest, is produced on country and uses sustainably harvested natural resource inputs; wildlife habitats on Aboriginal
lands (which are the breeding grounds for many migratory species) are maintained; and customary fire regimes assist biodiversity maintenance and can abate atmospheric carbon and smoke.
The situation also presents conflict of
interest issues, giving those seeking to develop
Indigenous land an actual or potential advantage in negotiations.
This right requires that
Indigenous groups are able to maintain and protect the unique characteristics of their culture, thereby requiring adequate protection of
Indigenous spiritual and cultural
interests in
land.
It also raises a more significant question about the extension of compulsory acquisition powers for the benefit of private
interests and the appropriate application of these powers to
Indigenous land rights.
The recognition of
Indigenous rights and
interests in
land is also intended to protect
Indigenous people's cultural, spiritual and social relationship with
land.
The 1996 Cape York Peninsula Heads of Agreement agreement [15] between
Indigenous people, pastoralists, and conservation groups shows that, at a framework level, native title parties can secure their entitlements and
interests in developments on their
land.
While
Indigenous interests can be represented by non-
Indigenous experts, human rights principles require that no decisions affecting native title
land should be made without the informed consent of those affected.
A substantive equality approach would seek to provide
Indigenous interests in
land with the protection necessary to ensure they can be enjoyed, according to their tenor and to the same extent as non-
Indigenous interests in
land.
The Mabo decision makes it clear that from 1975 the Racial Discrimination Act, 1975 (Cth)(the RDA) rendered invalid Crown grants which had the effect of extinguishing
Indigenous interests in
land for the benefit of non-
Indigenous interests.
[110] This latter category is commonly referred to as special measures — a principle which has been applied to both native title rights and
interests and other
Indigenous land rights.
Rather, the statement signifies that while the
indigenous relationship with
land is entirely different to common law «proprietary»
interests in
land, it requires an equivalent degree of protection.
While the relationship of
indigenous people with their traditional home
land is «primarily a spiritual affair» or as Blackburn J. described it in Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd (1971) 17 FLR at 167, a «religious relationship», the common law applies to protect only the physical enjoyment of rights and
interests that are of a kind that can be exercised on the
land, and does not protect purely religious or spiritual relationships with
land.
Many of these
land councils have a long history of representing
Indigenous interests at a regional or State / Territory - wide level.
Concerned that
indigenous peoples have suffered from historic injustices as a result of, inter alia, their colonization and dispossession of their
lands, territories and resources, thus preventing them from exercising, in particular, their right to development in accordance with their own needs and
interests,
Other
land and property assets will be divested to Indigenous interests before ATSIC is abolished or will be transferred over to the Indigenous Land Corporation or Indigenous Business Australia to be divested for the benefit of Indigenous peopl
land and property assets will be divested to
Indigenous interests before ATSIC is abolished or will be transferred over to the
Indigenous Land Corporation or Indigenous Business Australia to be divested for the benefit of Indigenous peopl
Land Corporation or
Indigenous Business Australia to be divested for the benefit of
Indigenous people.39
As indicated above the Mabo decision represents a fundamental break from the past denial of
Indigenous interests in
land.
These laws provide a framework for recognising and protecting
Indigenous cultural
interests in
land.
The Committee is concerned, despite positive developments towards recognising the
land rights of the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders through judicial decisions (Mabo 1992, Wik 1996) and enactment of the Native Title Act of 1993, as well as actual demarcation of considerable areas of
land, that in many areas native title rights and
interests remain unresolved and that the Native Title Amendments of 1998 in some respects limits the rights of
indigenous persons and communities, in particular in the field of effective participation in all matters affecting
land ownership and use, and affects their
interests in native title
lands, particularly pastoral
lands.
Interests that complement each other in this way must be identified and specifically addressed to ensure full enjoyment of the traditional connection that
Indigenous people have with the
land.
As Peterson notes, not only does colonisation displace, alter or eliminate
Indigenous peoples» rights and
interests in the
land they occupied, but it also generally results in a loss of «personal and political autonomy and group sovereignty».119 The
Indigenous land rights movements sought to restore both types of rights property rights to the
land, and political rights of autonomy.120
Whatever the justification advanced in earlier days for refusing to recognise the rights and
interests in
land of the
indigenous inhabitants of settled colonies, an unjust and discriminatory doctrine of that kind can no longer be accepted.
New climate change related laws, regulations and markets may further decrease or limit
Indigenous peoples» rights and
interests through extinguishment or suspension of native title and by restricting rights in relation to access and use of
land, natural and biological resources.
New policies and laws relating to
land use and development (including housing and associated infrastructure) require an examination of how new
interests and imperatives will impact upon (positively or negatively)
Indigenous land, cultural, human and native title rights and
interests.
This cultural framework provides
Indigenous communities with an important market advantage but will only be maintained if
Indigenous communities can protect their rights and
interests in
land in way that supports the ongoing exercise and enjoyment of culture.
While it is undeniable that past Crown grants created
interests potentially incompatible with the pre-existing
Indigenous interests, what has created the legal conflict between the
Indigenous and non-
Indigenous rights to
land is the legality accorded to the
Indigenous title since the decision in Mabo.
Commonwealth parliamentarians have previously commented on the danger that progress will occur only in those areas with resources of
interest to government and industry.80 Native title might then become a system to assist the state governments with
land management, rather than to recognise and protect
Indigenous connection to
land.
[76] Consequently, approaching
Indigenous interests in the
land in the same way as approaching non-
Indigenous interests in
land would be: