Fraser cool towards Queensland proposal

Press, 4 March 1982, Page 9

Fraser cool towards Queensland proposal

NZPA Brisbane The Australian Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) yesterday gave only conditional support to the Queensland Government’s move to give the state’s Aboriginals limited land rights.

He described the decision, announced on Tuesday, as “very significant” and said a “very important process has clearly been set in motion.” “We have a major new proposition in relation. to land tenure for Aboriginal people and that in itself is an important step forward,” Mr Fraser told a press conference after having lunch with the Queensland Premier (Mr Joh Bjelke-Petersen). It deserved to be very carefully considered.

But Mr Fraser emphasised that he could give only an initial reaction to the proposal at this stage. The deeds of trust had to be examined by the Federal Attorney-General and until that was done and “one or

two matters clarified” it was hard for the Federal Government to give a final view. The Queensland proposal was seen as a, first step towards the abolition of the controversial Aboriginal and Islanders Arts, and is seen as a bid by the state to defuse potential conflict with Aboriginals during the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane this year. Mr BjelkePetersen called the proposal “fair and straightforward.”

Asked if he had reservations about the decision, Mr Fraser said he did not want to. say any more than he had at the moment. But he repeated that a very important intention had been stated by Queensland. While the title perpetual tenure was not used, he believed that title to reserve areas that went on without end would be very important to the Aboriginal people. Mr Fraser also rejected suggestions that opposition to the state Government’s deci-

sion by Aboriginal leaders could jeopardise this year’s Commonwealth Games. If African and other States did not attend the Games, “it will not be because of any decision or policy within Australia,” he said. The Opposition leader, Ed Casey, yesterday said there was a great smell around the actions of the state Government, “a smell “of corruption.” Queensland Aboriginals would gain little from the land rights plan which was the same system used by the Government to allocate land to local authorities, race clubs, cemetery trusts, and harbour boards. “The grants in trust are nothing special, they’re merely another form of Crown land,” Mr Casey said. He said the-Department of Aboriginal and Islanders Advancement would still be retained to act as “big brother” by the Queensland Government.