SOUTH Australia’s fifth native title determination will be finalised today, with the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people to hold native title over 78,672 square kilometres of land in the State’s far north.
Attorney-General John Rau will appear before today’s special sitting of the Federal Court in Coober Pedy to record South Australia’s consent to orders recognising the new native title holders.
The agreement will result in the State’s first tripartite park management arrangement, with the native title holders, the State Government and the local council jointly responsible for the new Breakaways Reserve near Coober Pedy.
“Today is a significant day for the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people, who first lodged their claim in 1995,” Mr Rau said.
The claim area extends from the Tallaringa Conservation Park in the north west, south to the East West railway line.
“The Federal Court is expected to rule by consent that the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people have non-exclusive native title rights and interests to that area from today onwards,” Mr Rau said.
“This includes their rights to hunt, fish, live, camp, gather and use the natural resources, undertake cultural activities including those relating to births and deaths, conduct ceremonies and meetings and protect places of cultural and religious significance.”
The State Government, the District Council of Coober Pedy and the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people will enter soon into an indigenous land use agreement (ILUA) for the Breakaways Reserve, which will become part of the State’s park system, to be administered through agreement by the District Council of Coober Pedy.
The proposed park is already a tourist attraction in the district and has great significance for the Antakirinja Matu Yankunytjatjara people. Its new status will enable better management and enhanced enjoyment of the proposed park for the whole community, with the native title holders having a pivotal role.
Local pastoralists, the State Government and the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people will finalise a significant number of pastoral ILUAs in conjunction with the special court sitting. These
set out the terms of the ongoing relationship between the pastoralists and the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people.
“This is significant milestone as it legalises the relationship that the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people have had with their land for thousands of years,” Mr Rau said. “It is also a significant step for South Australia being the fifth determination of native title to take place in our State.”
