GEOG20003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Native Title Act 1993, Terra Nullius, Uluru
16 May 2018
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Department
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Professor
LECTURE 10: INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL
POLITICS + MANAGEMENT
• Kakadu: place of engagement between Indigenous + wider environmental movement
• Black-Green Alliance: Indigenous + environmental movement join to fight issues
o Involves a range of concerns coming together
• Environmental movement: moves on to next battle ground, whereas Indigenous (usually traditional owners)/local groups
stay + fight, and have to deal with the consequences
• Env movement + Indigenous = complex relations + divergent positions, need to negotiate
• Crucible of env campaigning: conflict + campaigning – Indigenous feel broken connection to land
• Fire Stick Farming: important in managing the landscape, now for carbon mitigation
RIGHTS + THE LEGAL SYSTEM
• 1980’s: change, Mabo decision (1992), handing back of Uluru + Kakadu
• Uluru: free hold title, exclusive, handed it back to government in form of a national park
o Contentious: climbing the rock, continues against will + traditional law
o Still don’t have full control over visitors
• 80% NT: handed back to Indigenous under title – Indigenous Land Rights Act, done in good faith
o Political decision by crown to give land back
• Mabo Decision: High Court, 1992, overturned terra nullius – foundation on which Australia was formed
o Led to Native Title Act 1993
o Must prove unbroken connection – hard for displaced persons to claim native title – based on a pre-existing
right
o Can’t claim privately owned land
Native Title
• Seeing lots of land given back to Indigenous control
• Rights to land, sea + resources in Australia now a profound reality in our political + economic landscape
• Indigenous: 2% of population, yet own 23% of land mass
o Claims up to 50% of land mass, if all approved – clustered in NT and Central Aus
• Most Indigenous population on east coast, yet no claims – due to white pop owning land + displacement
• Mining occurs in registered claim zones
• Victoria: Indigenous + parliament – negotiating a treaty – need for political settlement
INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
• Kimberley: north WA, funding due to cultural + ecological significance
• Native Title a double-edged sword for Indigenous – forced to define boundaries – Western paradigm of owning land
• PBC: prescribed body corporate, of an area, must set up a PBC to claim native title
o Made up of different clan members
• Bunuba Rangers: long relationship with Department of Environment + Wildlife
o Receive funding, therefore have certain roles to play
o Roles: weeding, animal control, risk assessment, fire control, set up national park accessibility
o Not able to spend time/effort on their cultural and traditional roles of land management
o Social benefits: reconnection to country
• Parks Council: integration of culturally significant activities in national park
o Entered into agreement (joint management), allows say for Indigenous people + negotiation in protected
area management – have say in budget
LECTURE 11: MEDIA AND ENVIRONMENTAL
COMMUNICATION
THE MEDIA
• We rely on media representations to interpret + make sense of environmental complexities
• Media representations link our daily realities + experience
• Powerful agent in shaping, translating and presenting information for us
• Passive information, rarely critical of information presented
• Currently trying to bring down powerful administration – Trump + Russia
• Many actors at work: owners of media, various opinions, presenters, writers – yet media ownership doesn’t control
journalists
• The media is not a monolithic entity – use the term with caution
Imagery
• Imagery engages us at an affective emotional level
• Experiential processing systems encodes reality through metaphors + imagery
• Images have the potential to raise awareness, inspire to act etc, yet also paralyse + immobilise us
• Power of Imagery: in climate change can transfer for apathy to action (O’Neil et al)
o Imagery of climate change impacts: promotes that c.c is important, but undermines sense of self agency
o Images of energy futures promoted agency: make participants feel like they could do something about c.c
o Images of politicians + celebrity – undermine agency and sense of importance
Document Summary
Kakadu: place of engagement between indigenous + wider environmental movement. Black-green alliance: indigenous + environmental movement join to fight issues. Environmental movement: moves on to next battle ground, whereas indigenous (usually traditional owners)/local groups stay + fight, and have to deal with the consequences. Env movement + indigenous = complex relations + divergent positions, need to negotiate. Fire stick farming: important in managing the landscape, now for carbon mitigation: crucible of env campaigning: conflict + campaigning indigenous feel broken connection to land. 1980"s: change, mabo decision (1992), handing back of uluru + kakadu. Uluru: free hold title, exclusive, handed it back to government in form of a national park: contentious: climbing the rock, continues against will + traditional law. 80% nt: handed back to indigenous under title indigenous land rights act, done in good faith: mabo decision: high court, 1992, overturned terra nullius foundation on which australia was formed. Political decision by crown to give land back.
