Have a read of the article that was in yesterdays Australian newspaper, I for one am disgusted and outraged that this has been allowed to go on seemingly since the 60's!!
I listened to Yilyanga and co. bleating on about the destruction of culture and how mining was the root cause, but blow me down look at the alleged internal corruption.
Not one cent went to housing...shameful!! Yilyanga where are you now?
The previous government turned a blind eye? Well surely this puts this outrageous moratorium into new light, I hope the new government can see through the deceit and rip it up!
I am interested to hear others thoughts on this issue.
Charges loom over Aboriginal trust's spending on casino, boats and cars • by: Amos Aikman, northern correspondent • From: The Australian • October 22, 2012 12:00AM MINING royalties paid to the Groote Eylandt Aboriginal Trust may have been spent on cash handouts, cars, boats and casino trips, with a government manager appointed to take charge and the prospect of forthcoming charges over alleged corruption. The move follows an investigation by the Northern Territory Department of Business after the allegations came to light in April. The trust has been placed into statutory management, with alleged breaches dating back to May last year. "The dollars are big," Territory Business Minister Peter Chandler said yesterday. "This trust has been running since the late 1960s, and not one dollar of the money has been spent on housing. Even if 10 per cent had been spent on housing and infrastructure, Groote could be a totally different place." The trust collects royalties from mining projects on Groote Eylandt, which are supposed to be spent for the benefit of the community. Mr Chandler said he understood there were "boxes upon boxes upon boxes" of information pertaining to possible misuse of funds, but declined to comment further, citing the prospect of criminal charges. A source familiar with the investigation talked of "cash handouts, boats, cars, millions spent through the Skycity casino" in Darwin. A spokeswoman for Skycity did not respond to questions. The Australian has learned of one case in which $900,000 of the trust's money was allegedly spent on a single funeral. Mr Chandler said the trust took in about $9 million but spent about $17m last year, prompting the initial investigation. He said it was not the first time outside administrators had needed to take control of the trust. One source said the Country Liberal member for Arnhem, Larisa Lee, had asked government investigators to look into the possibility that money from more than one royalties trust could have been siphoned off or misused. Ms Lee did not return calls last night. The Department of Business investigation was launched under the former Territory Labor administration, which did not make the matter public or, it seems, censure the board's activities. A spokeswoman for Territory Labor leader Delia Lawrie said the government had received reports regarding management of the trust "just prior to the election", had instigated an investigation and was awaiting the outcome. Mr Chandler said the matters had come to light in April. The election took place in August.
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