ATSIC 23 March Goolburri Land Council Board Re - elected In what has been described as "an affirmation of indigenous self-determination", more than 530 members of the Goolburri Land Council voted at a special general meeting last weekend to substantially re-elect the previous land council board. And in a blow to the Federal Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Senator Herron, the newly returned board has voted unanimously to reject changes proposed by the minister to the land council's boundaries. They also voted down proposals also supported by the minister to introduce a ward system into the ATSIC regional council election process. The meeting, held in Toowoomba last Saturday, was "an affirmation of indigenous self determination" ATSIC Commissioner for the south west region of Queensland, Ray Robinson, said today. He says the vote to return the previous land council board and its first decisions, taken over the weekend, are a major rebuff by local indigenous people for Senator Herron. The existing board was returned with the addition of six new members. Commissioner Robinson said Goolburri Land Council was one of a number of land councils in Queensland and around Australia that were being 'targeted' by the minister because of their "independence" and "determination to speak up for themselves and the people they represent." "This was a vote where indigenous people voted to sort out their concerns among themselves. A vote which refused to be moved or divided by outside influences," he said. Commissioner Robinson said the council's "very strong" vote on both the boundaries issue and the question of a ward system being introduced into Queensland has left the federal minister " with nowhere to hang his hat." He said the minister's proposed boundary changes to native title representative bodies in Queensland was becoming "increasingly untenable." "These changes have been rejected by the full Board of ATSIC, a combined meeting of all of ATSIC's elected representatives in Queensland, all of the seven ATSIC Regional Councils in Queensland and now the Goolburri Land Council. "Goolburri has now voted and said it has no confidence in and will not support the proposed changes, either. "It clearly supported the existing boundaries of the land council, and wants to continue with funding through ATSIC and its Regional Councils, as has already been put to the minister. "And it is certain many other land councils and representative bodies in Queensland will overwhelmingly reject these unworkable and unnecessary changes", he said. He said the Goolburri Land Council's position was now the same position put forward by the outgoing administrator, who was appointed by the Registrar for Aboriginal Corporations. "This puts the minister in quite a quandary. "The fact that his own administrator's position is now also the position of Goolburri Land Council, makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for the minister to sustain his proposed changes. "If he does, it will be clear for all to see that the minister is more interested in playing politics than implementing good public policy." Media Contact: Commissioner Ray Robinson 0417 716 494 Craig Sproule Craig Sproule Office of Public Affairs Ph: 02 6289 3450 Fax: 02 6282 2854 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
