Elders take step on path to owning homes

TRADITIONAL owners in the NT community of Gunbalanya have agreed to advance negotiations to sign a 99-year township lease.

Alexia Gumurdul, Julie Narmdal and Michelle Gumurdul have doubts about a 99-year whole community lease.

A MAJORITY of traditional owners in the remote Northern Territory community of Gunbalanya have agreed to advance ­negotiations towards signing a 99-year township lease, intended to foster Aboriginal home ownership and economic development.

The community leaders have taken the step despite holding ­significant reservations about ­giving the government control of their land, with some predicting an actual lease may never be signed and arguing protecting their culture is more important.

The agreement paves the way for Canberra to move towards gaining its fourth township lease in the territory, providing secure tenure over a seventh community on Aboriginal land. The policy of using government-held head leases to promote private economy was first introduced by the Howard government.

It has been taken up enthusiastically by Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion, even though in communities where township leases have now been in place for as long as seven years its promised benefits have largely yet to be realised.

At Gunbalanya yesterday, Senator Scullion praised locals for taking a “very important first step” towards finalising a long-term lease. “We’ve agreed the principles under which a township lease will take place,” he said.

“Township leases strike a balance between preserving traditional ownership of Aboriginal land while making it possible for people to obtain long-term individual property rights in order to obtain a loan for a home or ­business.”

Gathered outside the meeting, however, traditional owners Julie Narmdal, Michelle Gumurdal and Alexia Gumurdul were not so sure.

“We signed it so that they can come back and have more meetings,” Ms Narmdal said. “We don’t really agree with that 99-year lease thing.”

Ms Gumurdal added: “There’s too much government already; protecting our land and culture is more important.”

On the Tiwi Islands, where the first 99-year Aboriginal township lease in the territory was signed in 2007, only 16 homes have so far been bought by private homeowners, mostly community staff, and none has changed hands on the open market. On Groote ­Eylandt, where three communities signed a joint 40+40 year township lease in 2008, Senator Scullion was aware of no homes bought privately by residents. Another obstacle has been confusion over the NT government’s policy on selling public houses.