Tuesday, November 24, 2009

A New Day for Noongar Native Title?


I decided to start a new blog site yesterday on hearing the news that the WA Cabinet has decided to discontinue its challenge to Noongar Native Title. As I commented to one media outlet this morning:

"This is terrific news for the Noongar people and an historic turning point in government policy," the convenor of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation in WA, Stephen Hall, said today.

"It has been a great irony that the WA Government has recognised Noongar people as the traditional custodians of Perth and the South-West in many public ceremonies and yet failed to acknowledge their possible native title rights.

"We look forward to the outcomes of these negotiations."

this is an important first step in the right direction; as there is still a long way to go in reaching a just and proper settlement.

this essentially puts the process back to where Willcox left it in 2006, when he said in closing that the best way to proceed would be to negotiate rather than appeal and litigate.


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