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Indigenous groups and the resources industry in South Australia have today signed two Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs), further demonstrating that negotiation is the most successful approach to native title.
Through choosing to engage in negotiations Indigenous groups and the resources industry in South Australia have cleared the way forward for faster site clearances for explorers which provide assurances of heritage protection for Indigenous groups in the State.
These ILUAs provide a model for negotiation between Indigenous groups and explorers over areas under a native title claim.
On behalf of the State, the South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson and the Minister for Exploration Resources Development Mr Paul Holloway signed the ILUAs at a ceremony in Adelaide today attended by representatives of the parties involved in reaching these outcomes. The signing has occurred within weeks of the National Native Title Tribunal's registration of Australia's 100th ILUA.
The South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME), Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM), and the State Government reached an agreement with the Antakarinja Land Management Corporation which represents claimants in a native title claim over 78, 640 sq km in the far north of the State around Coober Pedy. These negotiations paved the way for the development of another agreement with the Ularaka Arabunna Association Inc that represents claimants in a native title claim over 73, 480 sq km near Maree. The effect of these agreements will be to reduce the task of negotiation from subsequent mineral exploration ILUAs.
National Native Title Tribunal Member Mr Bardy McFarlane, who provided some assistance to the parties in developing the Arabunna agreement, commended the people involved for persevering with negotiations and providing a model for other groups.
'We hope these agreements can be adapted to suit local circumstances and community aspirations in other parts of South Australia,' he said. 'The groundwork has been laid for other negotiations over exploration sites covered by a native title claim.'
These are the first ILUAs to be achieved through a State-wide approach to agreement making that aims to assist groups with negotiations over native title.
'These agreements are a positive step forward for South Australia and demonstrate what outcomes can be achieved through the native title process,' Mr McFarlane said.
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