Proposed amendments to the Native Title Act in Victoria are timely (‘Native title revamp for state’, The Age 6 Jan 09). This Act was from its inception flawed as it demanded that Aboriginal people demonstrate continuous connections with the land they claimed.
It is therefore not surprising that less than 1% of total land mass in Victoria was acknowledged under the Native Title Act, as indigenous people were rapidly dispossessed of their lands to make way for sheep. They were even driven off a farm they successfully operated at Coranderrk and
sent to Lake Tyers.
Amending existing laws to allow Aboriginal groups to show a traditional connection to public
lands their ancestors once held dear will give new life to the Native Title Act in Victoria and bring justice at last to generations of the First Australians.
Keith McEwan, CLA member,Bendigo, Victoria
The Age 5 Jan 09