Forwarded with permission: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Qld. Media statement - Beattie signs Australian first for indigenous consultation Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 2:54 PM Premier, HON. PETER BEATTIE 13/8/99 Beattie signs Australian first for indigenous consultation Premier Peter Beattie and the Chair of the Queensland Indigenous Working Group Terry O'Shane today signed Australia's first formal protocol for future consultation on land and resource management. Mr Beattie said the main thrust of the protocol was to recognise the Queensland Indigenous Working Group as the principal conduit for consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. "It will give indigenous people a single point of access to government, and government a single point of access to the views and concerns of indigenous people," the Premier said. Mr Beattie said the protocol was in two parts - a broad statement of principles to guide future consultation, and a schedule listing various current matters to which the provisions of the protocol would immediately apply. "Those immediate issues include clearing the backlog of mining tenure applications which have been stalled as we sorted out our native title regime, and developing efficient procedures for dealing with permit notifications," the Premier said. The protocol was not legally binding and did not give indigenous representatives any right to veto. "It simply ensures indigenous views will be properly heard and considered when Government makes decisions relating to native title, land management, resources development and cultural heritage," the Premier said. Mr Beattie said his Government had an ambitious program of policy development across the range of land, resource and cultural heritage issues. "We are committed to ensuring indigenous Queenslanders have their voice heard on these issues, which are critical to the future well-being of their communities," the Premier said. "This protocol serves to formalise that commitment by spelling out the policy areas we plan to review, and the nature of consultation that will occur. "In the past, consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities was either non-existent or, at best, ad hoc and ill-defined. "This did nothing to inform decision-making and policy-setting that directly affected those communities." Mr Beattie said the QIWG offered a new approach during consultations about a new native title regime for mining in Queensland by providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander views through a broad representative group. The QIWG is made up of representatives from throughout Queensland for each of the eight Native Title Representative Bodies, the six ATSIC regions, the Aboriginal Co-ordinating Council and the Islander Co-ordinating Council. ATSIC Commissioner for North Queensland, Terry O'Shane, chairs the QIWG. Mr Beattie said the protocol document would provide a cost effective and efficient way to ensure that the success of last year's native title negotiations was repeated in future government consultation with the State's indigenous people. "This protocol recognises the QIWG as the principal conduit for consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders across the State on policy and legislation decision-making in the areas of native title, land management, resource development and cultural heritage," the Premier said. "The protocol sets out broad guidelines including ensuring adequate time and opportunity for proper and meaningful consultation to occur as QIWG takes issues out to their own communities and reports back to the Government." Mr Beattie said the protocol was part of a suite of consultative mechanisms that his Government has put in place to ensure the voice of the indigenous people of Queensland was properly heard in decision-making that affected their interests, "The role of the QIWG will fit neatly with that of the major indigenous policy advice body to my Government, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board which reports to the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, Judy Spence," the Premier said. "That Board will continue to be the primary conduit for policy advice relating to health, employment, housing justice and infrastructure development in indigenous communities." ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ 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." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
