Dr WOODRUFF (Franklin – Leader of the Greens) – Deputy Speaker, the Greens acknowledge and respect the concerns of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community that has led to a delegation of those people camped outside here on the lawns of Parliament House. Listening to them yesterday, it was clear from the words of Michael Mansell, Nala Mansell, and others who spoke of the failures and desperate situation they think has been reached with the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs’ mismanagement in progressing a treaty and truth-telling pathway. It has been three years since that report was handed down, in November 2021, by Kate Warner and Tim McCormack. It was an incredible moment in Tasmania and the report was received with a great deal of seriousness by then premier, Peter Gutwein. He made a commitment to progressing the recommendations of the Pathway to Truth-Telling and Treaty report. I will go through the main recommendations that were made.
The reason a group of palawa people of Tasmania are outside Parliament House today is because of the utter failure of the Liberal government to progress any measure within this report despite the commitments made by Peter Gutwein. Here we are, nearly three years’ later.
Recommendation 1 is that a truth-telling commission be established. That has not occurred. Recommendation 5 is that treaty and truth-telling advancement legislation be prepared. This is a key issue that Aboriginal people are outraged about. Michael Mansell himself delivered a draft bill to the minister 18 months ago to try and move the process along, but there has been no action on that draft bill since then.
Recommendation 11 was that there should be a statutory process developed for Aboriginal Protected Areas, a new land tenure under the Nature Conservation Act, so that Aboriginal people can manage our national parks and care for country as they have always done. That has not happened. Kooparoona Niara, in the Western Tiers, should be an Aboriginal Protected Area but that has not happened. Recommendation 13: To consider creating kunanyi/Mt Wellington as an Aboriginal Protected Area. That has also not happened.
There has been no increase in resources for the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, which is desperately underfunded. There has been no reform of the Aboriginal Heritage Act which the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs said was woeful, inadequate, and incapable of delivering proper Aboriginal protection.
It is obvious from the people on the Aboriginal Heritage Advisory Council that it is incapable of protecting ancient Aboriginal culture, middens, burial grounds and many other areas that are being trashed by developments today.
Fundamentally, we have had no land returns in Tasmania now since 1996.
It is a dire situation. Into that, Theresa Sainty sent a letter of resignation two weeks ago to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs because of matters I raised in question time this morning. She has been sitting on that advisory committee in good faith for years now and she has reached a point where she explains:
“It is not surprising to hear that some of your right-wing Liberal Party colleagues are not supportive of the truth-telling and treaty agenda. This explains your seeming disinterest in Aboriginal affairs across the board, with the exception of your racist proposed amendments to the Aboriginal Lands Act and the Aboriginal Heritage Act. It also explains the absence of any mention of protection of irreplaceable Aboriginal heritage and cultural landscapes in the proposed draft bills, including the draft West Coast Off-Road Vehicle Strategy, which caters more for rednecks riding roughshod over Aboriginal heritage than protecting it. That you suggested we need to explain – “
Time expired.
