Tribunal registers Wik agreements
| 24/03/2005 |
The Wik and Wik Way peoples and pastoralists can now coordinate their rights and activities on three north Queensland pastoral holdings following the National Native Title Tribunal's registration of three indigenous land use agreements (ILUAs)¹ today.
The agreements were the result of negotiations between the Wik and Wik Way peoples, the Queensland Government and the lessees of three pastoral holdings on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula where the Wik and Wik Way peoples sought recognition of their native title rights and interests.
The registration of these agreements, and a further agreement between the Wik and Wik Way peoples and Cook Shire Council, brings into effect two native title consent determinations the late Justice Cooper of the Federal Court made last October. These determinations recognised the Wik and Wik Way people's native title rights and interests over 12,530 sq km on the peninsula.²
Executive Director of the Cape York Land Council (CYLC), which represented the native title claimants during the negotiations, Richard Ah Mat, said: ‘The registering of the ILUAs has followed years of negotiations between traditional owners, pastoralists, local government, commercial fishing interests and federal and state governments. The finalisation of the agreements is an example of how all parties can come to the table and negotiate an outcome which accommodates all interests without traditional owners losing their traditional rights and interests.’
‘I only wish that some of the elders who began the struggle for recognition of Wik and Wik Way peoples were here today to see the benefits of their determination coming through.’
National Native Title Tribunal member, Graham Fletcher, said the parties developed the ILUAs to sort out how the Wik and Wik Way peoples would exercise their native title rights and interests on the ground, while taking into the account the rights and interests of the other parties.
‘Now that these ILUAs have been registered with the Tribunal the parties can carry out all aspects of the agreements, such as the access arrangements between the native title holders and the pastoralists over the three pastoral holdings,’ he said. ‘The ILUA with the Cook Shire Council also clarifies how local government plans for infrastructure and development within the Wik and Wik Way people's traditional areas can proceed.’
‘I congratulate the parties for working together to develop a better understanding of each other's rights and interests and to reach an outcome they're all satisfied with.’
¹ ILUAs are voluntary, legally binding agreements about the use and management of land, made between Indigenous groups and others with interests in a particular area. ILUAs are practical and flexible as they are developed to suit the different needs of the groups and the land use issues they're working through.
² These determinations, made on 13 October 2004, followed another consent determination the Federal Court made on 3 October 2000 that recognised the Wik and Wik Way people's native title rights over 6,136 sq km of their claimed area. Approximately 5,200 sq km covered by the original claim is yet to be resolved. The Wik and Wik Way peoples lodged a second native title claim in September 2001 over Comalco's bauxite mining leases south of the Embley River, covering about 1,600 sq km. This claim is also yet to be resolved.
|
| Nicolette Kormendy |
| 07 3226 8227 |
| 0417 944 809 |
|