Indigenous leaders near deal

YOLNGU leaders are edging towards an agreement with the Northern Land Council that would give them greater auth­ority.

YOLNGU leaders are edging towards an agreement with the Northern Land Council that would give them greater auth­ority to promote economic development on their land.

Senior traditional owners and members of the NLC executive met on Monday after Gumatj clan leader and veteran land rights ­activist Galarrwuy Yunupingu called for land rights to come home, as revealed exclusively by The Weekend Aus­tralian.

It is understood the terms of any agreement have yet to be worked out, but sources close to both sides said there had been progress in the negotiations.

“The head of the land council and senior traditional owners were in agreement about fundamental things,” one said.

Another source said while both sides appeared conciliatory, it was not clear either’s position had significantly changed.

Further discussions are ­ex­pected to be held this week.

The Gumatj people want to lease blocks of Aboriginal land to homeowners and businesses to create secure tenure and establish a revenue stream.

The Madarrpa clan, led by a member of the Prime Minister’s indigenous advisory council Djambawa Marawili, is interested in long-term leasing.