Land Rights Fails Indigenous Employment

A recent audit of the Employment opportunities in remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory has again showed why the Land Rights Act has failed Aboriginal Territorians. The report not only found that there were few employment opportunities in remote communities but also there was little interest in jobs where they did exist. The report revealed that there were 2,955 real jobs in these remote places with an overall population of 37,070. The majority of those real jobs are held by non-indigenous people. The report also pointed out that there was a lack of "willingness or desire” to take advantage of available jobs.

"Thirty years after the introduction of the Land Rights Act and the supposed beneficiaries of the legislation continue to languish far behind the rest of the community.” Jodeen Carney said.

"The walls of protection that the Land Rights Act have not worked to benefit Aboriginal Territorians. These walls were established to prevent Aboriginal people from being exploited but they have now become bars to investment and other economic activity in many places. The result is such entrenched welfare dependency that when jobs do become available there is a poor take up rate.

"Economic investment by small business interests has particularly struggled because of the multitude of hoops that businesses have to jump through to get onto Aboriginal Land. Barriers like the permit system are an example of the limitations placed on businesses succeeding in these places.

"Nevertheless, small businesses are probably the businesses that are going to provide the best employment opportunities into the future in these places. Businesses like art enterprises and tourism enterprises represent the sorts of areas where there has been a successful integration of indigenous employees.

"The amendments to the Land Rights Act that have been passed in the Commonwealth Parliament have gone some way to addressing these issues but there still needs to be a change in the culture of access to these remote places.

"It is clear that it is time for indigenous people to be far more involved in the general economy and in a far more direct way. If current management practices are pursued these people will continue to be land rich and dirt poor.”

2006-09-25