The National Native Title Council (NNTC) has labelled Rio Tinto’s admissions to the Senate Inquiry into the destruction of the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge caves “disgraceful” and has pointed the finger again at the grossly out-dated Aboriginal Heritage Act (AHA) in Western Australia. Rio Tinto’s executives appeared before the parliamentary inquiry on Friday, making a number of revelations, including the fact that the company had three other options when planning the expansion of its Pilbara mine, but admitted only one option was presented to the Traditional Owners. The other three options all would have avoided the destruction of the heritage site. Despite managers within the company knowing in advance the enormous archaeological and cultural significance of the site, executives state they were not made aware until a week before...

Image credit: Carolyn Betts The National Native Title Council (NNTC) has welcomed the Commonwealth Government’s commitment to commence a national engagement process for modernising the protection of Indigenous cultural heritage, which is an outcome of the ongoing review into the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. The national engagement process will commence with a round table meeting of state Indigenous and environment ministers, jointly chaired by Minister Ley and the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt. In the NNTC’s upcoming submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia’s Inquiry into the destruction of Juukan Gorge, the NNTC has noted the numerous policy gaps and shortfalls which fail to uphold the rights and interests of Traditional Owners to allow them to protect and manage their own cultural...

The National Native Title Council (NNTC) met today and is calling on the Commonwealth to implement national legislation for Indigenous cultural heritage, greater accountability from mining companies and law reform in the states and territories to stop the destruction of Aboriginal heritage across the country. Recent destruction of sacred heritage sites in Western Australia by Rio Tinto have put a spotlight, not only on WA’s out-dated Aboriginal heritage laws, but other weak heritage laws around the country, which heavily favour mining interests over the rights of Traditional Owners. The NNTC is calling for the Commonwealth to implement national standards in Indigenous cultural heritage legislation, which the NNTC is developing with the Australian Heritage Council, the Indigenous Heritage Chairs of Australia and New Zealand and the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage...

In response to the destruction of an Aboriginal heritage site by a mining company over the weekend in the Western Pilbara region, National Native Title Council’s Chief Executive Jamie Lowe stated: “The destruction of this extremely significant heritage site is devastating and we stand with the Traditional Owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples, in their grief at this incalculable loss of culture. Their ancestors have protected these sites for tens of thousands of years and they should have been the decision makers about what happened to their heritage.” “This was allowed by laws of the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments. The Commonwealth government has not provided any legislation to properly standardise protection of Aboriginal culture.  To ensure this doesn’t happen again we need to change the...

NATIONAL NATIVE TITLE COUNCIL CEO NAMED INDIGENOUS VOICE CO-DESIGN MEMBER The National Native Title Council (NNTC) welcomes Minister Wyatt’s announcement yesterday of the 15 members of the Indigenous Voice Co-design Group, which includes its own Chief Executive, Jamie Lowe. The Co-design Group will be co-chaired by senior Indigenous leader Dr Donna Odegaard AM and is responsible for developing models for a national voice to government. Mr Lowe said the pace at which the voice to government process is moving is admirable but that there is a long road ahead. “Minister Wyatt and his government have made significant progress on the voice to government. In just a few short months we’ve seen the advisory and co-design groups formed. The momentum is remarkable,” said Mr Lowe. “Obviously we have an...

CLOSING THE GAP: PM DELIVERS FINAL REPORT The Prime Minister today tabled the 12th and final Closing the Gap report in Parliament before it’s set to be overhauled under a new framework co-designed by Indigenous communities. Over the 25-year campaign, only two out of seven targets are on track, while the gap in mortality rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians has increased. The new framework is being guided by the Coalition of Peaks, a group of almost 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peak organisations. After consulting with Indigenous communities around the country, they will be working with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to co-design, implement, monitor and evaluate the next decade’s Closing the Gap policies. The National Native Title Council’s Chief Executive, Jamie Lowe, is...

PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH COALITION OF PEAKS ON CLOSING THE GAP The National Native Title Council’s (NNTC) Chief Executive, Jamie Lowe, was one of the 15 Coalition of Peaks members to meet with the Prime Minister in Canberra this morning to discuss the new Closing the Gap priorities, which aim to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Coalition of Peaks – a representative body comprised of around 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peak organisations from across various social sectors and industries – met with the Prime Minister and his ministers at Parliament House. This morning’s meeting follows the signing of the Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap in March 2019, which saw the Coalition of Peaks bringing their communities’ wishes to...

National Treaties Summit 2020: regos open Registrations are now open for the National Treaties Summit, which will see hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates, academics, politicians and supporters from around the country gather in Melbourne to discuss the pathway to a Treaty with Australia’s First Nations. Organised by ANTaR, the National Native Title Council (NNTC) and Melbourne Law School, the three-day event will include keynote speeches and panel discussions from Professor Marcia Langton, Professor Mick Dodson AM, Senator Pat Dodson, Peter Yu, Dr Jackie Huggins, Senior Counsel Tony McAvoy, Linda Burney MP and many others. International speakers will provide a context for Treaty and agreement-making in other settler colonies. The landmark gathering is an opportunity for rigorous debate across a range of themes, with the intention...

NATIONAL NATIVE TITLE COUNCIL WELCOMES ULURU CLIMB CLOSE The National Native Title Council (NNTC) welcomes the permanent closing of the Uluru climb this Saturday, which it states is a long overdue request of the Anangu Traditional Owners. NNTC CEO Jamie Lowe said: “The Anangu Traditional Owners have made their wishes known for many years, that they don’t want people climbing Uluru, and we’re really pleased they’ve finally been able to formalise that request. “For the majority of Australians, Uluru has a certain romantic appeal. It’s an iconic part of our tourism and Aussie culture, and whilst climbing it will become a thing of the past, Anangu people still invite visitors to experience the wonder of country and understand the cultural significance of Uluru to Anangu. “I think for...

The National Native Title Council (NNTC) welcomes the Northern Territory Government’s proposed amendments to the Pastoral Land Act (PLA), which are set to be introduced to the NT’s Legislative Assembly this week....

NNTC WELCOMES PROPOSED PASTORAL LAND ACT (PLA) AMENDMENTS IN NT The National Native Title Council (NNTC) welcomes the Northern Territory Government’s proposed amendments to the Pastoral Land Act (PLA), which are set to be introduced to the NT’s Legislative Assembly this week. The proposed bill is a significant achievement, and will help strengthen the capacity of native title holders to negotiate with pastoral land lessees, where native title co-exists on the same area as a pastoral lease. The Gunner Labor Government has agreed to amend the PLA to ensure native title holders have a right to negotiate (a right to be at the table) in relation to major economic developments on their traditional lands when a Non-Pastoral Use Permit (NPUP) for primary production diversification is sought on a...