Nationals to support breakaway Aboriginal land councils if elected, royalty changes

David Littleproud has affirmed support for breakaway land councils if elected, decentralising the powerful bodies managing Aboriginal land and royalties in the Northern Territory.

The Nationals have affirmed support for breakaway land councils if elected, decentralising the powerful bodies managing Aboriginal land and royalties in the Northern Territory.

National Party leader David Littleproud was in Alice Springs last week doorknocking residents with the CLP candidate for Lingiari Lisa Seibert, marking an unofficial start to the party’s federal election campaign in the NT.

He said part of the party’s plan to improve Indigenous representation and outcomes included supporting breakaway groups from the Territory’s four land councils: Northern, Central, Tiwi and Anindilyakwa.

“That’s the pathway that we see,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Moving away from repeating the mistakes of the past; of representative bodies that represent large geographical areas, which come to Canberra and their concerns get generalised, and then nationalised into programs, rather than bespoke local solutions driven by local communities.

“We have to get local empowerment of local communities – that was our opposition to the Voice referendum, which was more about Canberra bureaucracy.”

Nationals leader David Littleproud and CLP candidate for Lingiari Lisa Seibert in Alice Springs. The coalition's election campaign is unofficially underway with Littleproud in Alice Springs last week to doorknock with the local candidate. Picture: Supplied.

The Commonwealth does not currently have powers to break up NT land councils, and any such intervention would require amendments to the 1976 Land Rights Act.

Mr Littleproud said the party’s focus would instead be supporting traditional owners who wished to form breakaway councils.

NT Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was last week appointed to the new “government efficiency” platform in Peter Dutton’s shadow cabinet.

Speaking alongside the Opposition Leader in Alice Springs on Tuesday, Ms Price confirmed that if elected her new remit – touted to crack down on “wasteful spending” – would include an inquiry into land councils’ statutory authorities.

“The reason for this (inquiry) is to understand things like how royalty payments impact our communities,” she said.

“When royalties payments – another form of passive welfare – are distributed, quite often this leads to an increase in alcohol-related crime, because we know that those who would be welfare recipients have now got cash to go and spend.”

The coalition has pledged in principal support for the Territory government’s seven-point wishlist to improve community safety.

One of those measures includes ensuring royalty distributions occurred in communities and not in Alice Springs.

Originally published as Nationals to support breakaway Aboriginal land councils if elected, royalty changes