Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion is being accused ofskulduggery aftergiving almost half a milliondollars to fishing and cattlemensgroups from the IndigenousAdvancement Strategy (IAS),including to the Northern TerritorySeafood Council, a group thatSenator Scullion chaired before entering politics.
Further fuelling the outrage, Senator Scullion told a Senate Estimates hearing that the money would be used to support cases against native title claims in the NT.
NT Labor Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the Minister was
using the IAS as a personal slush fund.Minister Scullion needs toexplain why money that isspecifically for closing the gap and
advancing the lives of First Nations People has been given to nonIndigenousorganisations to arguethey would suffer detriment fromland claims, she said.
Senator Scullion told thecommittee that the funds were distributed to speed up the nativetitle process but critics see
otherwise, arguing the funds should not have come from the
IAS, a fund meant to advanceAboriginal communities, but ratherfrom the Attorney Generals office.
Northern Land Councilchairman Joe Morrison said it was
a poor look that public moneymeant for Aboriginal people was
being used by third partiesopposed to land claims.
National Congress of AustraliasFirst Peoples co-chair Jackie
Huggins said that the funding allocations had revealed what had
been suspected for a long time.
We have had long-standingconcerns that funds allocated by
the federal parliament specificallyto benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are oftensiphoned off by administrative authorities and do not reach theirtarget and this proves that ourconcerns need to be addressed, she said.
The funds amounting to$500,000, that need to be used foruplifting our peoples in remote communities have been given to the NT Seafood Council $150,000, NT Amateur Fishermens Association $170,000 and NT Cattlemens Association $165,000.
Senator Scullion hashighlighted that these funds couldbe used towards legal fees to argue the negative impacts by theland right claims.
Everywhere I have beenaround the country, its brought upall the time how difficult it is to getIAS funding, for even small
community groups, for things likewomens health, diabetes
education, or night patrols, mothers and babies programs, Dr
Huggins said.
The IAS was set up for thepurpose of improving outcomes
and social participation for ourpeople and I dont see how these
grants align with that.
Even the recipients were not happy to be caught up in the
controversy. Both the NT Seafood Council which Senator Scullion chairedprior to entering politics and theNT Cattlemens Association, told the Koori Mail they were approached by the government toapply for the funds, and not
necessarily for the purpose theMinister told the hearing.
NT Seafood Council chiefexecutive Katherine Winchester
denied the funds from the IASwould be used to fight land claims
while NT Cattlemens Associationchief executive Ashley ManicarosMr Manicaros said part of thefunding would be used foreducation purposes, to understandthe history of land claims, and theother component would be used toeducate members about possibleimpacts of land claims.
Ms Winchester said the terms ofthe Seafood Councils approved
funding had not yet been finalised.We understand why the
Northern Land Council hascondemned the IAS funds beingused for legal aid to fight landclaims and why the broadercommunity are disgusted at such aconcept, as it is not what the IAShas been set up to do, she said.
Our application for fundingfrom the IAS has not been to fight
land claims, rather to deliver a stepforward that brings fishers andtraditional owners together to aidseafood industry development.
Outcomes of the AboriginalLand Rights (Northern Territory)Act 1976 (Cwth) and the 2008 BlueMud Bay High Court decision haveresulted in recognition of traditionalowners ability to control access tointertidal waters overlyingAboriginal land. We recognise weno longer have a right to accessfishing grounds impacted by thedecision and we have to workclosely with traditional owners.
Congress co-chair Rod Little said the government was turning a blind eye to the plight of Aboriginal people.
The government has again letour most vulnerable families and
communities down; the reality is that successive governments
failures continue to drive ourpeople further into poverty and
deny the next generations a betterfuture, he said
Labor Senator MalarndirriMcCarthy was particularly scathing
in her assessment of the fund allocation, saying it was time the
Prime Minister showed someinterest in how his Indigenous
affairs minister was spendingpublic money.
Senator McCarthy said thelobby groups should have been
going to the attorney-general'sdepartment for legal funds.
Senator Scullion denied thefunding allocation had been a
misuse of the IAS fund.
He maintained it was inAboriginal people's financial
interests to assist the lobby groupswho might not have the resourcesto pay for lawyers and clear up abacklog of delayed land claims.
If title is granted over seacountry, for instance, commercial
fishing operators would pay moneyto Aboriginal people to access it.
I make no apologies for mycommitment to progress all
outstanding claims to ensure wecan grant all remaining parcels ofAboriginal land that are appropriateto, Senator Scullion said.
blind eye to the plight of Aboriginalpeople.
The government has again letour most vulnerable families and
communities down; the reality isused for cross-cultural training.
We deliver a number ofprojects. Real jobs for Indigenous
land corporations and this crosscultural training is effectively
complementary to that, MrManicaros said.
SourceThe Koori Mail 14 November 2018
