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 PRA's new alliance to fight regrowth, wild rivers legislation 

PRA's new alliance to fight regrowth, wild rivers legislation

29 Jun, 2009 05:09 PM
Leading Aboriginal land rights advocate, Noel Pearson, received a standing ovation for his presentation attacking the State Government's vote-driven environment laws at Property Rights Australia's conference held in Rockhampon on the weekend.

Delegates to the annual general meeting backed the keynote speaker's message to join together to fight for their property rights.

Mr Pearson said Aborigines and farmers were on common ground in their battles against the Government's environmental agenda, saying the fights against the Wild Rivers legislation and the ban on regrowth clearing were very similar.

Both the Wild River's legislation and changes to the Vegetation Management Act were taking away basic landholder rights, Mr Pearson said.

"This is a terrible thing when they can take away your land, uncompensated," he said.

"If we don't have a property right in constitutional law, a protection of property, there is a fundamental right missing."

Mr Pearson has been working together with retiring Property Rights Australia chairman, John Purcell, for 13 years in challenging State Government legislation.

Mr Purcell said an alliance with Mr Pearson and a fresh face for the lobby group would give new impetus to the battle against the Government.

"It's very hard to win the battle, you can't change legislation easily but with Noel Pearson on side we might win the war," Mr Purcell said.

"We live in a democratic society and I've got faith things will turn around."

Mr Purcell retires after five years as chairman of the lobby group.

A new board of six members was elected on the weekend, with one position still needing to be filled.

A new chair will be appointed within the week.

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'Wild Rivers' legislation looks to be the new frontier that will set a precedent for the future in property rights/land rights in Australia. Challenging it is necessary and will help bring together all Australians as stakeholders in this country. I think it is going to build bridges in terms of respect for/ understanding of the inherent knowledge indigenous people hold about land management/caring for the land.
Posted by Gal, 30/06/2009 5:22:10 AM
I have always admired Noel Pearson and this is one more thing to add to my list of reasons why. Good on you Noel for standing up for all of us, farmers included! barb
Posted by good on you Noel!, 30/06/2009 10:48:06 AM
Yep, as I said last week. He would make an excellent first Premier of the new state of North Queensland. And the new constitution should include and clarify all the rights and liberties that remain ambiguous in the current Qld constitution. We need the definition of "improper exercise of power" in the constitution itself rather than in mere legislation and we need a definition of a "taking" of property that prohibits regulations from doing that. We need a long term goal to work towards as well as a strategy to undo the existing wrongs. If we don't fix it properly we will only leave the same problem for the kids to deal with.

But also bear in mind that we cannot enshrine our own rights in law without also working out a mechanism for "just compensation" for Aboriginal subsistence in perpetuity. Some could argue that the dole and Abstudy already fits that requirement but there is clearly more to it and it must be paid as an hereditary right rather than a concession subject to income threshholds and such. We have been stooged into thinking that the price of compensation would be too high but we must remember that there was no market for land prior to settlement so there was no way of determining its value, other than by what it delivered to the previous owners.

Posted by Ian Mott, 30/06/2009 12:04:15 PM
Question for John Purcell. Did PRA put a submission in for the EPBC ACT review? Are copies available if they did?
Posted by John Michelmore, 30/06/2009 12:11:48 PM
Remote or rural based communities need to understand that if they do not unite now, everything they treasure about the land they live on will be decided by urban enviro- fundamentalists. It’s good to see Aborigines and farmers uniting of 'common ground'. Together we form a formidable political force.
Posted by Jack Lehman, 5/08/2009 7:14:51 PM

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Retiring Property Rights Australia chairman, John Purcell, with keynote speaker Noel Pearson at the PRA AGM held in Rockhampton on Saturday.
Retiring Property Rights Australia chairman, John Purcell, with keynote speaker Noel Pearson at the PRA AGM held in Rockhampton on Saturday.

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