Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:34): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in regard to the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: On 1 May, the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation wrote an open letter to the Wirangu Association, which was also sent to several stakeholders, including the minister, with several statements, including an acknowledgement that 'Wirangu land extends wider than the above acknowledgement area,' with an included map. The letter also indicated state government involvement with the activities of the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation in this space. My questions to the minister are as follows:

1. Has the minister for Indigenous affairs, on behalf of the state government, been involved in this process, which potentially puts in place special arrangements for the Wirangu people at the expense of five other member groups of the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation?

2. Does the minister support this proposal, which seemingly is contrary to the Federal Court determination for native title for the Far West Coast Aboriginal peoples on 5 December 2013?

3. What communication has the minister had with the other five distinct cultural groups which make up the Far West Aboriginal group, apart from the Wirangu Association?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:36): I thank the honourable member for her question. I don't quite understand, and maybe the honourable member will explain by way of supplementary, what she means by correspondence somehow impinging on native title rights. I am at a complete loss to understand that. I was cc'd in on a letter that, from my memory, was from the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation talking about Wirangu's connection to a certain part of the land that forms the basis of the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation's native title claim.