Aboriginal leaders slam Ceduna mayor’s claims violence is linked to mining royalties

Aboriginal leaders say they’re shocked by the Ceduna mayor’s claims anti-social behaviour is linked to money from mining royalties.

Aboriginal leaders from Ceduna have denied the mayor’s claims that a recent spate of anti-social behaviour before Christmas was linked to royalty payments from mining companies being spent on alcohol.

On January 3, Mayor of the District Council of Ceduna, Ken Maynard, told the Advertiser that a spate of alcohol-fuelled violence was the result of “cashed-up” Aboriginal people coming into the town and spending royalty monies on booze.

Images purporting to show the issue of rising public drinking and anti-social behaviour in the regional SA town of Ceduna in recent weeks. Picture: Supplied

On Sunday, Wayne Miller, CEO of the Ceduna Aboriginal Corporation – a separate organisation from the region’s Native Title Prescribed Body Corporate, the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation, told the Advertiser that people did not receive individual payments from mining royalties.

“I think it’s important that we all stick to the facts and make sure that we don’t let a good story get in the way of the facts,” he said.

CEO of Ceduna Aboriginal Corporation, Wayne Miller.

“I don’t know where the information has come from about mining royalties.

“No one receives cash payments from Far West Coast, and we don’t receive mining royalties in the form of cash.

“It all goes into a trust and the trust then distributes it on application, never in cash.”

Mr Miller said mining royalties were always spent on supporting the Aboriginal community.

“We are able to put our kids through school, college, give funding for health and funerals,” he said.

Speaking to the Advertiser again on Sunday, Mr Maynard clarified that he was not speaking about local Aboriginal people, but Aboriginal people from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands).

Mr Maynard said he was informed by a senior police officer in the town at a council meeting in November that people were travelling through Ceduna from the APY Lands “cashed-up” from mining royalties.

Mayor of the District Council of Ceduna, Ken Maynard, said anti-social behaviour in the town before Christmas was due to Aboriginal people from out of town spending royalty payments alcohol.

However, General Manager for the APY Lands, Richard King disputed his claims, telling the Advertiser that no royalty monies had been given to people from the lands in the lead-up to Christmas.

“No royalties as such, only exploration fees paid annually by mining exploration companies for approved areas of tenement holding,” he said.

“No distribution was scheduled for November, but had to be deferred until March or April 2023.”

Mr Maynard’s claims has also been slammed by SA Liberal Senator, Kerrynne Liddle, who suggested that the abolition of the Cashless Debit Card (CDC) by the federal government in October was the reason for an “uptick” in anti-social behaviour.

“Surely Mayor Maynard isn’t seriously expecting South Australians to accept royalty distribution as the cause of anti-social behaviour in Ceduna,” she said.

“Mayor Maynard is right blaming cash – but this uptick in anti-social behaviour is not simply all about royalty monies.”

Mr Miller said it was too early to tell if the rise in alcohol-fuelled violence was a result of the removal of the CDC in October, but said “homelessness” and the lack of services was a contributing factor.