Senate rejects changes to Native Title laws for Adani (video)

 

A victory for Aboriginal Australians and another blow to the Adani carbon bomb coal mine in Queensland. The federal senate has voted against passing the gov "reforms" of the Native Title act, designed to walk all over Aboriginal people's wishes not to destroy their land, giving Adani the right to do so by digging the biggest coal mine in the southern hemisphere.

From the email:

We did it.

 After standing strong for our rights, with months of advocacy, lobbying and campaigning, and with support and direct pressure from you and thousands of other supporters, the Senate stood firm on native title this week.

 They refused to rush through the ‘Adani amendments’ pushed by George Brandis.

 The urgency driven by the Government was all about heading off key parts of our legal action against Adani next week.

 They failed. So now we’re going after Adani’s fake ‘Indigenous Land Use Agreement’ in the Federal Court!
 ..............................................
Next week we will be seeking an order in the Federal Court to strike out Adani’s application to register its dodgy documents. And we will bring forward damning evidence of their bullying and inducements.

 We had great success on Thursday. The pressure mounted by Adani’s backers in the Liberal and National Parties and through the media was relentless. It took all our effort, and all your support, to turn this thing around.

 There was so much more at stake. It is our responsibility as Traditional Owners to protect the land, a duty given to us by our ancestors. We share this with Traditional Owners around the country.

 Native title isn’t and should never have been about Adani and a coal mine. Native title is not theirs to play with, and not Malcolm Turnbull and the Coalition Government’s to give away.

 As we said, we are heartened that our right to reject a land use agreement over our lands because our native title is threatened with ‘extinguishment’, has gained recognition in the Federal Parliament.


Opposition and Greens Senators spoke clearly and strongly about the need to put the native title rights of Traditional Owners ahead of all other interests, including mining, when making changes to the Native Title Act.