Kimberley Appropriate Economics Interim Report - Australian ...

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Projects or enterprises that achieve
good results in conservation and
cultural revival should receive
added incentives.
Governments could set up a single
body where people can go to find out
about funding opportunities. This
should explain which departments
provide funding for enterprises,
and should allow people to deal
with one person throughout the
whole process.
Funding decisions and processes
should be made by the local
community, including people who
operate successful enterprises,
projects, or partnerships already.
They could help to provide a kick
start for pilot projects.
Land Tenure, Land Access, and Land
Management
Action 14 Develop and implement a process
to efficiently and quickly deliver
land title, or land access where
appropriate.
People at the Roundtable were
frustrated at delays or failures
caused by problems related to land
tenure. They felt that sustainable
development would move more
quickly if organisations like the
Indigenous Land Corporation,
or other land owners were able to
settle transfer of leases and other
tenure matters quickly. This would
allow Traditional Owners to get
control of title sooner.
Government agencies should con–
sider, promote and develop other
forms of land tenure to suit a range
of activities, people, resources or
governance structures.
Access agreements for pastoral land
should be negotiated more quickly,
and mixed land use and ownership
models should be developed, so
that a wide range of people are able
to make sustainable livings from
country.
Action 15 Put in place real and effective
arrangements for the comanagement
of the conservation
estate by Indigenous people.
People at the Roundtable saw a
strong role for indigenous people
in managing and running the
conservation estate. This would
be an outstanding opportunity for
people to combine their traditional
knowledge with an important
mainstream task.
People called for legislation that fully
recognises Traditional Owners’
rights in the conservation estate,
and that incorporates those rights
into co-management arrangements,
both for existing National Parks, and
for other conservation agreements.
People called on the Kimberley
Land Council, Environs Kimberly,
and the Australian Conservation
Foundation to take a strong role
in encouraging and supporting all
stakeholders (including the mining
and pastoral industries, and the
Department of Conservation and
Land Management) to recognise
that Traditional Owners have a
major role in decision making
and management in relation to
conservation.
Action 16 Provide effective means for control
of and access to land where native
title exists.
People at the Roundtable wanted
to take actions to assist people with
native title to their country to get
the benefits from that title. This
includes recognition of Traditional
Owners and control over access to
land. Access by non-Indigenous
enterprises or individuals could be
through a permissions process.
Agreements should be quickly neg–
otiated with pastoralists for access
to pastoral land, for enterprises and
for cultural activities.