Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
[RSJ Home]
[Global AustLII Search]
[RSJ Database Search]
[Table of Contents]
[Previous]
[Next]
[Download]
THE RECOGNITION OF ABORIGINAL CUSTOMARY LAWS - 716. Links with the General Legal System.
While the activities of the 'ten-man committee' in Port Hedland or
elsewhere have no official sanction from the general legal system,
the members of the committee have on occasions been assisted by the
local police. The extent of this assistance depends, it seems, on
the particular personnel stationed at the Port Hedland police station
from time to time. [125] The activities of the 'ten-man committee'
and the lack of any formal liaison with the local police can mean
that a person will be dealt with under both systems: by the
ordinary courts and by the Strelley community. The Commission had
discussions at Strelley about the possibility of formalising the role
of the 'ten-man committee' in some way, for example, by its members
wearing a uniform or badge of some kind. It was suggested that
this may improve the police understanding of who they were and what
they were doing and perhaps prevent problems resulting from
non-recognition. A further difficulty, of course, is the possibility
that certain of the actions of the 'ten-man committee' could involve
breaches of the law and leave members of the committee liable for
prosecution. Some official recognition of their role may, perhaps,
prevent this. There was no clearly expressed view of the community
members on the desirability of such changes, most implying that
because the system worked satisfactorily at present there was no
need to change it.
[RSJ Home]
[Global AustLII Search]
[RSJ Database Search]
[Table of Contents]
[Previous]
[Next]
[Download]