‘Now is the time to turn our attention to recovery from the disruption to our lives’: NLC chief executive

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us, including those in the business community. Now is the time to reconnect, reset and re-energise plans for the future … writes MARION SCRYMGOUR

2020 has been a difficult year for all of us, including those in the business community.

Now is the time to reconnect, reset and re-energise plans for the future.

The Northern Land Council’s COVID-19 response showed that Aboriginal land councils can readily lead from the front with both government and non-government sectors to make good decisions for our First Nations people which also have the broader Northern Territory context in mind.

What happened was that for an extended period of time prior to the NT government being ready to “roll out” a remote areas access card for essential workers, it was the land councils – exercising a mixture of their permit powers under the Aboriginal Land Act and new powers under the Biosecurity Determination – which undertook the primary vetting of people wanting to come onto Aboriginal land. Even after the remote areas access card (the AREW – approved remote essential worker) started being issued, the land councils continued working with government decision-makers and police to ensure that the system operated effectively.

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Now is the time to turn our attention to recovery from the disruption to our lives. We can build on partnerships established as part of the COVID-19 emergency, and it may be time to refresh some of the business plans of enterprises on Aboriginal land.

There are potential opportunities in a number of areas: tourism; agriculture; fisheries; pastoral operations; mining; and the energy sector (including renewables).

We also want to address administrative blockages, but without compromising the prerogative of traditional owners to defer any project until such time as they are comfortable to give informed consent.

A witchetty grub held at the Karrke Aboriginal cultural Experience. Karrke was established to preserve and share language and knowledge. Tourism NT supplied

For those who are contemplating new initiatives on Aboriginal land, talk to us at the earliest stage you can. The sooner we get together on new ideas, the sooner we can start providing information to traditional owners and native title holders, enabling them to make good decisions.

It is critically important to the future of all Territorians that our Aboriginal Territorian families are all connected and benefiting from economic activity on Aboriginal land, including in the form of long-term jobs and the opportunity to grow our own businesses.

We welcome the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission report, which indicated that Aboriginal people will be “front and centre of this economic development of the Territory – as land owner, developer, investor, partner, employee and community member”.

However, co-operation with government and other sectors is a two-way street. There are a number of issues which need addressing.

Marion Scrymgour is the Northern Land Council CEO. Picture: Che Chorley

Traditional owners who are homelands residents want certainty and equity with other Territorians when it comes to housing and essential services at the places where they live.

Traditional owners of established communities on Aboriginal land want clearer short-term commitments from government in relation to building and refurbishing houses, and want their decision-making role respected in a process which involves land councils being consulted as their statutory representatives. It is not good enough for such consultations to lump traditional owners together with non-traditional owner residents as if they are the same.

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The same considerations apply to any initiatives or discussions that may be proposed in relation to reintroducing easy access to alcohol in communities which had mostly already exercised their decision-making options to close down drinking clubs years before the Intervention. Most traditional owners are strongly supportive of the need to prioritise the wishes and the interests of women and children, and many recall the concerns that led to communities opting to become restricted areas in the first place.

Marion Scrymgour is the chief executive of the Northern Land Council