Liberals 'scaremongering on native title'

6 Jun 2012, 7:30 pm   -   Source: AAP

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon says the opposition is still "scaremongering" on native title by suggesting reforms will affect property prices.

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Attorney-General Nicola Roxon says claims from the opposition that native title reform will affect property prices are just "scaremongering".

Under the changes announced by Ms Roxon on Wednesday, native title grants will no longer be subject to income and capital gains taxes.

Terms of "good-faith negotiation" currently required will be written into the Native Title Act, while negotiating parties will be able to ignore historical extinguishment of rights.

Ms Roxon also pledged to make indigenous land-use agreements "less technical and more flexible".

But shadow attorney-general George Brandis said the changes sent the certainty of existing native title laws "out the window".

"It'll have an impact in particular on the value of pastoral lands," Senator Brandis told Brisbane's Radio 4BC.

Ms Roxon said the Labor Party had always been on the "right side of history" when it came to native title.

"It's pretty amazing that 20 years on from Mabo the Liberal National Party is still scaremongering about native title," Ms Roxon said.

Meanwhile, the National Native Title Council says the changes do not go far enough.

"We can no longer tolerate our old people dying while successive governments simply tinker around the edges," chief executive Brian Wyatt said.

Shifting the burden of proof from native title claimants would help alleviate the financial and psychological hardship for traditional owners, he said.

"The current system places an unjust burden on native title applicants in proving their continued connection to land," Mr Wyatt said.

There are still 442 registered claims in the system.

The National Congress of Australia's First People said for each claim it cost indigenous groups an estimated $1 million to prove their continuing connection to the land.

Ms Roxon said it was unlikely parliament would support such a change. Instead, the government was focused on incremental but significant changes.

"There isn't in native title a magic wand that would allow us to instantly make a determination tomorrow so that every person alive today can get recognition," Ms Roxon said.

The National Farmers Federation reacted with caution to the announcement, saying it was seeking guarantees from government that the setting aside of historical extinguishment would not extend to pastoral leases.

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