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Balranald will play host this week to the first formal meetings between the National Native Title Tribunal and groups involved in the Muthi Muthi native title claim.
National Native Title Tribunal member Bardy McFarlane will be in Balranald on Wednesday and Thursday (26 and 27 September) for meetings with interest groups such as native title claimants, local government representatives, mining interests, commercial fishers, the Rural Lands Protection Boards and a number of lease and licence holders.
These are the groups the Federal Court has accepted as parties to the claim. In July, the Federal Court referred the Muthi Muthi native title claim to the National Native Title Tribunal for mediation to see if agreement could be reached about some or all of the issues raised in the claim. The Tribunal's role is to facilitate and assist that process.
The Muthi Muthi claim covers land and inland waters in the vicinity of Balranald and Hatfield and is roughly bounded by the Murray River to the south, a line between Kyalite State Forest and Booligal to the east and a line between Mallee Cliffs and Lake Mungo National Park to the west. The claim was notified formally earlier this year.
Mr McFarlane said the meetings were aimed at explaining the mediation process, setting up a mediation protocol, discussing the parties' interests and gathering the views on how they wished to proceed with the mediation.
He said the aim of the mediation was to reach an agreement that respected everyone's rights.
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