Coober Pedy Indigenous Land Use Agreement

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (15:49): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation questions regarding an Indigenous Land Use Agreement for the Coober Pedy township.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY: On 11 May 2007 the Antikarinja Matu Yankunytjatjara were recognised as the traditional owners of approximately 76,000 square kilometres in and around Coober Pedy. For the past three years parties have been working on a mutually agreeable Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) for the Coober Pedy township. Unfortunately, no agreement has been made, which is causing delays to matters such as freeholding applications, boundary realignments, and formalising the tenure of existing infrastructure.

Development has now remained stagnant for the past three years, as dealing with crown land cannot proceed over native title within the Coober Pedy township boundary until the ILUA is signed. I understand the traditional owners are eager to finalise the ILUA; however, compensation matters have yet to be resolved between themselves and crown law. Can the minister advise:

1. When will the Coober Pedy ILUA be finalised and signed?

2. Does the government plan to make a lump-sum compensation payment; if so, how much?

3. If not, can the minister provide details of how compensation will be determined and how this will be paid to the traditional owners?

4. Will there be restrictions on what these compensation moneys will be able to be used for?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:51): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Native title is a significant vehicle for change in South Australia. The statewide native title resolution process, which this government supports, was ground breaking in its approach and provided a foundation of unparalleled collaboration and partnering in the area of native title. This process enables native title groups and claimants to have direct conversations with governments and others around respective rights and interests, but also services, jobs and businesses, and the health of their people and their culture and their country. I understand that to date 73 per cent of the area of South Australia is covered.

This government has made it a priority to build a strong and cooperative relationship with native title claimants, so much so that 88 ILUAs have been negotiated and signed across South Australia dealing with pastoral, local government, land access, mining and infrastructure issues. I am advised that a number of claims have been completely resolved, including those of the Gawler Ranges, the Arabunna , the First Peoples of the River Murray and De Rose Hill.

Having said that, negotiations around native titles and Indigenous land use agreements are the responsibility of the Attorney-General in the other place, so I will take the honourable member's questions to him and seek an answer on his behalf.