Traditional owners head to court over sand mining

Traditional owners of Stradbroke Island off Brisbane are heading to the High Court tomorrow to stop sand mining on the land.

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Stradbroke Island off Brisbane where sand mining has become a threat.

Speaking at the Annual National Native Title Conference in Coffs Harbour, the people of the Quandamooka said their Native Title was under threat.

They are fighting the Queensland government's support of sand mining on Stradbroke Island, saying it opposes their Native Title rights.

"We believe we're going to win, we wouldn't do it if we didn't believe we're going to win," said CEO of the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, Cameron Costello.

"Campbell Newman's government wrote to us in the first instance back in 2012 saying 'we want to meet to extend sand mining' and if we didn't meet they were going to suspend our Native Title benefits, because they knew in that letter that they would have to change our land-use agreement."

The Quandamooka were granted Native Title in 2011.

In their Indigenous land-use agreement they supported the Anna Bligh government's wish to continue sand mining until 2019, despite the cultural and environmental threats associated with the activity.

When the Newman government came into power, it extended sand mining activity to at least 2035.

Mr Costello said this set a dangerous precedent.

“We believe that they're breaching the Australian Constitution by trying to legislate over a Federal Court agreement and we're doing this on behalf of the Quandamooka people - but all Native Title bodies - because if they can get away with this in Queensland, you can bet they'll try it everywhere else as well,” he said.

The Quandamooka will attend the Federal Court in Brisbane tomorrow, where they'll lodge rights to the High Court registry.

This High Court case to determine if states can override Federal Native Title land-use agreements will take place in the Brisbane High Court tomorrow.


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Source: NITV News


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