It wasn't a good start for the Labor Government yesterday. They lost a vote when Independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott gave their support to the Coalition. It must have hurt. It was a minor issue - an amendment to the changes to Parliamentary rules and procerdures and it snuck in by one vote. I was surprised to find out that Bob Katter, Independent from Queensland who sided with the Coalition after the election, decided to go with Labor this time. It didn't affect Labor's hold on power but but the 73-72 vote loss was a boost to Coalition morale.
Today, Tony Abbott wants Aboriginals to have the right to undertake commercial tourist ventures in the Wild Rivers area of Queensland. The Queensland Labor government passed a law that said they weren't allowed to do this and he hopes to have it over-ridden today. It's absurd to think that Aboriginal people are going to damage the land in some way by introducing new tourist ventures. Local and overseas tourists are crying out for more Aboriginal-run tourist attractions, they have a lot to each us. Good friend of Tony Abbott, Noel Pearson, is behind the move to overturn the legislation. "If the Prime Minister is serious about indigenous empowerment, she will unlock indigenous land in Cape York" Tony Abbott said.
But there is a clear division between indigenous communities - some are fiercely opposed to the idea. This is an important issue and one that I hope will give power back to the Aboriginal people so they may prosper at doing what they excel at - teaching us more about our country.
Footnote: Noel Pearson slammed the government's decision to have a parliamentary inquiry into the Wild River legislation. A delegation of indigenous leaders and Cape York traditional owners were in Canberra yesterday and welcome the inquiry. Noel Pearson says that a Senate inquiry has already been completed and it's a pointless waste of time to have another one.
Strange then how Gina Castelain from Aurukun was on the TV this evening having gone to Canberra to tell whoever would listen that she and many others are against Abbott's move. "We have started tourism businesses here - this is the kind of development which works with the land."
ReplyDeleteWhat Pearson and Abbott are after is strip-mining for bauxite, which will earn big money for rich corporations and leave the indigenous people with a wrecked land.