Indigenous wealth creation ‘a chance to share responsibility’

Professor Yu’s proposal to shift government spending in Indigenous communities away from welfare and into wealth creation has inspired Labor’s next steps in Indigenous policy.

Mr Albanese discussed the plan at the Garma festival on Saturday, saying his government would smooth the path for investors and developers, companies and job-creators to work with communities.

Professor Yu and the Australian National University oversaw research for the proposal, then he formed an Indigenous economic alliance with a clear interest in renewables projects.

On Saturday Professor Yu told The Australian that Indigenous communities wanted to move in the direction of private enterprise but they needed help to get started.

“So rather than always thinking about what the deficit position is or what the government is going to be providing – because governments are never going to be able to provide enough – (it’s) us as First Nations peoples being able to share the responsibility and share the risk and the shared benefit,” he said. “But it will take the time, it’s not going to happen overnight.”

The Australian government’s decision to allow bauxite mining on the lands of the Gumatj clan of the Yolgnu people in 1968 is a watershed moment in Australian history. The Gumatj objected in the Yirrkala bark petitions now hanging in Parliament House and later lost the Gove land rights case in court.

However this led to a royal commission and the nation’s first land rights legislation.

In the final years of his life, Gumarj clan leader Yunupingu won the right to fight for compensation for his people over the mine. As a young man he had been a court interpreter for his elders in the original Gove land rights case.

Yunupingu, recognised as one of the most influential Australians, died in April 2023.

Six months later the commonwealth was granted special leave to appeal the late Gumatj leader’s case.

The battle returns to court next week.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/indigenous/indigenous-wealth-creation-a-chance-to-share-responsibility/news-story/0e227bcfb6ee228a0d8d6ad72a9f27c1
Is someone at the Oz finally reading the room here?, not pay wall protected.

Raider