The Australian Greens today condemned proposed changes to the Native Title Act as 'unnecessary, out of proportion, and embracing and extending the logic of the Howard-era Wik amendments.'

Greens Aboriginal Issues spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert has tabled a minority report on legislation, which endorses comments made by all of the non-government witnesses to the inquiry, and accuses the Attorney-Generals' department of 'failing to make the case for reform.'

"The terrible problems with lack of housing on Aboriginal communities have been with us for decades, and a lot of the blame must lie with the failure of state governments to deliver basic essential services to their Aboriginal citizens," said Senator Siewert.

"The Greens have welcomed the commitment by the Rudd Government to invest significant resources into tackling this massive backlog and are keen to support genuine efforts to get appropriate housing into place quickly. However there is no evidence that native title negotiations are responsible for significant delays in delivering on this promise.

"The committee heard evidence that existing agreement processes (such as Indigenous Land Use Agreements - ILUAs) can quickly and effectively deliver agreements between native title holders, mining companies, developers and other private interests when people are willing to sit down and negotiate in good faith. So why not for housing?

"Perhaps the problem lies not with native title but with the recalcitrance and unreasonable demands of state governments?" asked Senator Siewert.

"Aboriginal communities have been crying out for action to address overcrowded, unsafe and unhealthy housing for decades - it's sheer nonsense to suggest they won't want to reach agreement quickly. The proposition that the only way the Rudd Government can deliver much-needed housing is to run rough-shod over native title and compulsorily acquire the land simply beggars belief.

"It is incredible to think that, at the same time the Rudd government is struggling to find a way to deliver on its promises by partially reinstating the application of the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) to the Northern Territory intervention, it is also pushing ahead with a plan to extend the suspension of the RDA introduced in Howard-era laws it described at the time as - 'morally repugnant'.

"These laws are completely unnecessary and unjustified, and the only honourable course for the Government is to drop this bill and return to the 'new approach' of working with communities promised in the Apology," Senator Siewert concluded.

Media Contact: Fernando de Freitas 0417 174 302
Link to Report: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/nativetitle_two/report/report.pdf