Report to Members on Visit to Top End Communities

We were invited to meet with the Tiwi Land Council who told us how they lease the largest of their three communities (Nguiu) to the Commonwealth for 99 years. In return, they were paid substantial rent ($5 Million) in advance for 15 years and obtained many other benefits. They are using that rent to fund Aboriginal businesses paid for by money from the rent and low interest loans from IBA with the businesses being checked out and certified by Deloittes Accountants. The businesses include: car hire, cement mixing, Tiwi tours, forestry and they have plans for a supermarket, several specialty shops and more. The people have created over 84 paid Aboriginal jobs through business, more than the Tiwi Shire which is struggling, despite its $23 Million budget.

Leaders and Leaders Meeeting

The first APY Leaders and Leaders meeting took place in Adelaide on 11 February 2010 in Minister Holloway’s office.
 
South Australian State Ministers present were: Jay Weatherill (Aboriginal Affairs), Paul Holloway (Minerals Resources and Planning), Jennifer Rankine (Housing Families and Communities) and John Hill (Health and Arts). APY was represented by myself, Jamie Nyaningu, Anton Baker, Leonard Burton and Rex Tjami. John Singer also attended at my request representing NHC.
 
The meeting was preceded by a very successful workshop the previous day with PIRSA and the mining companies operating on the Lands, all of which gave a commitment to work with, and help Anangu get the most out of the opportunities presented by mining and oil exploration on the Lands.
 
The most important things to come out of the Leaders and Leaders meeting was strong commitment by government to support Anangu leadership in making a better life on the Lands.
 

Tomorrow we hold our first Executive Board meeting for 2010 and on 4 - 5 March, we hold our Annual General Meeting. What Minister Holloway said in Parliament on 3 December 2009 sums up the quality of our relationship with the South Australian Government. He said:

“I …pay tribute to the leadership of the APY lands. I know they have had their critics but over the past couple of years …I have found the APY Executive and other leaders in that community to be very keen to see progress in their communities. I think they have been very reasonable and that they are looking outwards from the lands…I have been pleasantly surprised by the very progressive attitude the APY lands Executive has taken to a number of issues…the community are really looking to progress…”

We will have some important things to talk about at our AGM. These include: Anangu taking responsibility for family, in particular the education and welfare of our children; Anangu individual ownership of houses in communities; royalty distribution models; and, delivery of NRM projects.