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It was announced that a Memorandum of Understanding for access to Commonwealth records concerning Aboriginal people would be signed on 5 March by Australian Archives, the Northern Territory Stolen Generations Combined Reference Groups, and the Karu and Central Australian Aboriginal Child Care Agencies.
The Tjupan Ngalia people and exploration companies Austquip, Hawkslade and Fangio Investments lodged an agreement with the National Native Title Tribunal. In accordance with the agreement, the first of its kind lodged at the Tribunal, the traditional owners would identify culturally significant sites and would not interfere with exploration conducted by the companies.
Perth artist Ms Elizabeth Durack, who recently announced that she had been painting for many years claiming to be Aboriginal and using the pseudonym of Eddie Burrup, indicated that she would continue to paint as Burrup. However, Aboriginal groups criticised her act as inappropriate, describing it as 'cultural appropriation'.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties claimed the expanision of the Parental Responsibility Act 1994 (NSW) is 'empowering police to beat up kids on the street’, and is aimed at Aboriginal youth in particular.
Port Stevens Council overturned its 1992 decision to develop a 76-lot subdivision on a 11ha site known as the ‘Worimi Women’s Waterhole’. The sacred site was used for birthing and burial purposes, and is also a sifgnificant wetland wildlife corridor.
The Prime Minister abreed to easier acess to leagl aid for pastoralists in native title cases, saying ‘ you either deny assistaance to both of them, or you assist both of them’. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justce Commissioner, Mr Mick Dodson, welcomed the move, pointing out that he had advocated just such access in his first native title report in 1994.
The Northern Territory Government introduced a trial Aboriginal languages interpreter service focussing on the legal and medical needs of the 70% of the Territory’s Aboriginal population who speak their traditional languages at home. The trial commeced in January and will last six months.
Magabalab Books announced it would stop distribution of the novel My Own Sweet Time, and was seeking legal advice, afetr it had discovered it was actually written by a white man, Mr Leon Carmen, purporting to be an Aborignal woman, “Wanda Koolmatrie”.
A homeless man was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment in Cairns for loitering with intent to beg.
The Aborigniaal Land Council of tasmania was established, to manage sites in Tasmania placed under Aboriginal control. The council has eight members, and are elected Tasmanian citizens of Aboriginal descent. The final role of voters included 410 people.
The Australian Rugby League and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission proposed a policy regarding racism in rugby league The policy provides for fines of up to $20,000 for racial abuse by players, and was drafted in response to a recent allegation of racial abuse by a North Sydney player toward a Newcastle Aboriginal player.
The National Farmers Federation launced a new television advertising campaign against native title. The campaign was branded as racist by Aboriginal leaders, the Federal Opposition and the Australian Demmocrats, among others. One advertisement showed an Aboriginal boy and a white boy in a tussel in a “Twister”-like board game.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission welcomed the launch of a Local Government mentor programme for Aboriginal people in NSW, and called for its implementation across the State. The program is a pilot project focusing on encouraging Indigenous participation in city and local shire councils.
The appointment of Mr John Moriarty as Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board of the Australian Council was announced.
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URL: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/IndigLawB/1997/47.html