Some NIWG members in conference. Photo: John Paul Janke
Welcome to the web site of the NIWG... |
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The High Court of Australia handed down the Wik decision in
December 1996. Since that decision there has been a deliberate effort
by the Australian Government to overcome the decision by using
legislation to reduce Aboriginal native title rights in common law.
This issue is a critical debate in current race relations in
Australia.
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The National Indigenous Working Group on Native Title (NIWG) developed from a series of workshops on native title. These brought together Native Title Representative Bodies, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, the Indigenous Land Corporation, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and the National Aboriginal and Islander Legal Services Secretariat.
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The first workshop in Sydney in April 1996 appointed the NIWG to represent the wider group, with the mandate to develop a position on proposed amendments to the Native Title Act (NTA) and present this to government.
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During 1996, members of the NIWG attended meetings with industry groups convened by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation to seek an agreed position on the governments proposed amendments to the NTA. Unfortunately, no agreement was reached.
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So far in 1997, two workshops involving the broader group of indigenous stakeholders has provided the NIWG with community input and direction not only on proposed amendments to the NTA but also on preparing a response to the High Courts Wik decision.
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The National Indigenous Working Group on Native Title, which has
been meeting in Canberra (the nation's capital) for many weeks, has
released a document called Coexistence: Negotiation and Certainty, stating its position.
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You can become involved and help the NIWG. Read the information on
this site. Let the Australian Government and others know that you are
directly opposed to any arrangement which discriminates against
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or treats indigenous
ownership rights as lesser rights than other Australians.
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