Editors --- "Recent Happenings" [1997] IndigLawB 80; (1997) 4(5) Indigenous Law Bulletin 16
Recent Happenings
30 May
The Queensland Attorney-General and Justice Minister, Mr Denver Beanland, announced a trial program for the Cape York area which would allow indigenous leaders to administer justice in their own communities. This involves training local indigenous people as justices of the Peace, empowering them to impose gaol terms as well as administer some punishments under customary law.
2 June
Federal Court judge Justice Ronald Sackville criticised the Federal Government's 10 Point Plan response to the Wik decision at a NSW Young Lawyers conference as 'incomprehensibly vague'.
3 June
The Stolen Generation Litigation Unit of the Northern Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid filed 96 writs in the High Court registry in Darwin, in pursuit of compensation on behalf of its clients. These join the 563 writs lodged by the Service in October 1996.
4 June
Mr Kim Beazley, Leader of the Opposition, said that the Labor Party 'fundamentally disagreed' with the Government's 10 Point Plan. Labor believes that the 'races power' in the Constitution can only be used to pass legislation that is of 'benefit' to indigenous people.
4 June
Daniel Francis Clark, charged with the bombing of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre building at Risdon Cove on 23 May 1997, was refused bail in the Hobart Magistrates Court and remanded in custody until his court appearance later in June.
5 June
It was reported the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Mr Shane Stone, would ask the Federal Government to amend the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act 1976 (Cth) so that large numbers of recent claims would not slow down development. A large number of claims had been lodged by the Central and Northern Land Councils in anticipation of the 5 June sunset clause in the legislation.
10 June
Western Australian Senator Ross Lightfoot announced that he had joined the Federal Coalition's Aboriginal Affairs back bench committee. Senator Lightfoot had been forced by the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, to apologise to the Parliament on 28 May for his statement that 'Aboriginal people in their native state are the lowest colour on the civilisation spectrum'.
13 June
The High-Court found that it does not have the constitutional: authority to force the Federal Government to refer Australia's treatment of its indigenous peoples to the International Court of Justice. In his decision, justice Michael Kirby stated that the Court does not have the ability to direct the Government on matters of foreign policy.
19 June
The Northern Territory government moved, to have a claim over the Wessel and English Company islands' under the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act by the Northern Land Council struck out. The Aboriginal Development Minister, Mr Mick Palmer, said that the claim had been made without consultation with the traditional owners.
21 June
The Northern Territory Attorney-General, Mr Denis Burke, said he supported suggestions by central Australian indigenous elders that customary, laws be used more frequently at a community level to punish offenders. However, he said he did not support the use of customary, corporal punishments.
26 June
The National Indigenous Working Group on Native Titled urged non-Government members of the Senate to show 'strong moral leadership' by rejecting the Government's 10 Point Plan. The Plan will be presented to the Parliament in the form of the Native Title Act Amendment Bill 1997 during the Spring sittings of Federal Parliament.
26 June
Juvenile Crime and justice, a report released today by the Australian Institute of Criminology, showed that indigenous youth aged 10 to 17 are 20 times more likely to be detained in juvenile corrections institutions than their non-indigenous peers.
26 June
Mr Lyall Munro, coordinator of the NSW Black Deaths in Custody Watch Committee, called for an independent government inquiry into the shooting of an Aboriginal man by police in Bourke. Mr Munro stated that the police inquiry had already taken 5 weeks, which was exacerbating fears in the indigenous community that it would prove a whitewash. The man, Mr Thomas Orcher, had been hovering between life and death since the shooting.