WA: Aborigines protest native title bills as debate resumes

AAP General News (Australia)
12-15-1998
WA: Aborigines protest native title bills as debate resumes

PERTH, Dec 15 AAP - Aboriginal groups rallied outside Western Australias parliament house
today as the upper house prepared to resume debate on three native title bills.

Aborigines from the Great Sandy Desert in the states north sang and danced on an 80 square
metre painting symbolising their land while 100 supporters looked on.

Opposition leader Geoff Gallop told the lunch-time crowd the Labor party would attempt to
make significant amendments to the governments legislation.

"Were going to engage the Liberal and National parties on this issue," he said.

"Were going to force them on every clause thats before this parliament to justify that
clause, and were going to move amendments where we think those amendments are necessary."

Premier Richard Court this morning attacked the Labor partys stance on native title after
a Labor-led legislative council committee failed to reach agreement on the issue, and
challenged them to be more constructive.

"Surely theyve got the message by now; they will become completely irrelevant as a
political organisation outside the metropolitan area if they dont start addressing some of
the practicalities of the legislation," Mr Court told journalists.

"(Dr Gallop) has to make a decision: is he going to continue to play a negative spoiling
role in these matters, or are they going to start becoming more constructive and accept that
this state, the future of this state, is going to need a workable legislative framework on
native title."

Mr Court acknowledged that the government did not have the numbers in the upper house to
pass its legislation untouched.

"If they want to, they can use their numbers and they can basically destroy both our
validation bills and our attempts to establish a state regime in this state.

"But they will pay a dear price if they continue to take a negative spoiling role in these
matters. Weve operated under the Labor partys native title legislation and it doesnt work,"
Mr Court told journalists.

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