Dodson says ties to land can be proven out of court
Sarah Smiles; 28/5/08
A broader range of Aboriginal people could establish rights over land in Victoria under an alternative native title settlement framework being negotiated with the State Government. Indigenous academic Mick Dodson told a Minerals Council conference in Canberra yesterday that the “connection requirements” to land that must be proved in the Federal Court under native title legislation could be “considerably less onerous” under the new system. The connection requirements establish an Aboriginal community’s connection to country under native title law. Groups previously disqualified as traditional owners could be recognised as such under the new framework, he said.
Tags: Australia; Aboriginal, Human Rights, Land