House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-16 Daily Xml

Contents

APY Lands, Governance

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:20): Supplementary: will the Premier support the call today from Mr George Kenmore and 20 other traditional owners to suspend the APY Executive Board and for the appointment of an administrator for the APY lands?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:20): That may well be a good idea, but it may well be that it is not a good idea. I think it would be a very brave person indeed to back a particular faction of the representatives of the APY lands. From bitter experience I can tell you that there are some fairly deep divisions on the APY lands, and just because somebody can get themselves organised with a petition to advocate a particular course of action does not necessarily mean that it would be the most appropriate course. It also does not mean that it may be the proper course as well, but I do not think I would find a petition persuasive. The truth is that this is a very long conversation to discuss the question of dispute and division on the APY lands. I think it is best left there and I will leave the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs to provide a detailed response.