Aborigines want fairer cut
Sarah Smiles; 23/6/08
Aborigines are getting “trivial” compensation from the mining boom in the Pilbara, with some companies returning less than 0.25% of gross revenue to traditional owners, a native title body has warned. The Yamatji and the Pilbara Native Title Service has urged the Federal Government to legislate so indigenous communities receive a minimum return from mines. “If we’re serious that Aboriginal people have the right to get similar compensation to any other Australian … why are we having a double standard when it comes to native title?” the body’s executive director, Simon Hawkins, said. “It’s like the newspaper boy getting five cents a paper because he’s 12 years old.” Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has flagged a shake-up of the native title system so benefits from the mining boom flow to indigenous people. But Mr Hawkins said the Government could not expect that “companies are going to do the right thing”.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/national/aborigines-want-fairer-cut-20080622-2v02.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Trade