The National Native Title Tribunal today advertised two native title applications in north-west Queensland, calling for interest holders to register as parties to the proceedings.
Queensland State Manager Mr Simon Nish said becoming a party to a native title application means having a say in mediation and, if necessary, in court.
Mr Nish said the Tribunal had placed advertisements in The North West Star, The Courier Mail and The Koori Mail giving interest holders three months to register as parties if they wanted to join the mediation.
The advertised applications were:
- The Gkuthaarn People's #3 application over specific lots of state land (approx. 37 hectares) in the vicinity of Karumba, in the local government area of Carpentaria. The application was filed in the Federal Court on 21 May 1999 and passed the registration test on 10 July 2000.
- The Waanyi Peoples' application in north-west Queensland and north-east Northern Territory, about 120 km south of the Gulf of Carpentaria. It covers an area of about 30,000 sq km, and falls within the Queensland local government areas of Burke and Mt Isa.
The Waanyi application, filed in the Federal Court on 30 August 1999, replaced nine earlier overlapping claims in the area which were withdrawn following mediation talks between the Waanyi groups. The united Waanyi claim passed the registration test on 15 September 1999.
Mr Nish said native title did not threaten the valid rights and interests of other citizens, including private freehold land owners, miners, pastoral leaseholders, and the rights of the public to access national parks.
"We are advertising these applications so that anyone with an interest in the land or waters subject to the application can be involved in discussions about whether native title exists in the area and if so, how it might be recognised and respected in a way that preserves everyone's interests," said Mr Nish.
"Any interest holder wanting to join the mediation needs to contact the Federal Court in Brisbane before 14 February 2001. The Court will then decide who to formally accept as parties and when the Tribunal should start the mediation meetings."
Mr Nish said pastoralists with properties in the Waanyi claim area and others who had registered as parties to the earlier Waanyi claims, will need to re-register to become parties to the amalgamated claim before the closing date. |