Global Climate Change Action

99 Year Aboriginal Land Leases

by Tyson Yunkaporta

The Australian government is currently trying to push through legislation forcing native title holders to lease their land.
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This is not a good situation. The proposed legislation has been condemned all over the world, by organisations such as Oxfam.

Basically, it means Indigenous traditional owners would be paid rent for their land for 99 year leases.

So, where is the money coming from for the rent? From the government? Will we finally see a return of hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen wages to Aboriginal people?

No.

The money is coming from community development funding in Indigenous communities, and from the Aboriginal Benefits Account. This means Aboriginal land owners will be paid with their own money.

How would you feel if somebody came into your house and decided to rent it, then paid you rent with money from your own bank account?

Worse still, Aboriginal communities will be pressured into leasing their land, with essential services being tied to compliance, through the new legislation. That means without signing lease agreements, Aboriginal communities can say goodbye to services that other Australians take for granted - education, health, etc.

Australia - the land of the "fair go", eh?

© Tyson Yunkaporta
reprinted with permission