- Target:
- Federal Government
- Region:
- Australia
- Website:
- oneisall.intuitwebsites.com
Against the background of the Federal Government announcing another tax on the resource sector, Indigenous claimant groups are told that it is in their interest and that of the companies to sign agreements that are confidential under corporate law.
In Western Australia we have a boom in the high end of town in legal firms representing native title parties. On the other hand we have Legal Aid and the Aboriginal Legal Service struggling to stay afloat and keep their staff. On the ground you have no visible benefits in these agreements as I have lived in the Pilbara for 5 and half years. All we see is a huge well oiled legal machine that is failing to deliver tangible benefits to indigenous communities.
I call for an audit into these agreements and for the information to be made available to the Federal Senate to determine if a Royal Commission should investigate the findings.
We the undersigned call for the appointment of an independent auditor to examine all native title agreements in regard to the royalties that are allocated including comparisons made between comapnies involved, resource type, region and Indigenous group.
The auditor will determine whether resource companies are loading the die by appointing their own, or connected legal services to the claimant groups, creating an environment where other companies are disadvantaged. It would also examine the extent of the fees charged on both transacting these agreements and the maintenance of these agreements alongside other similar commercial agreements where Native Title is not involved.
The findings must be made available to the Federal Senate only, in order that they should determine whether a Royal Commission should investigate the findings.
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The Audit needed into native title royalties petition to Federal Government was written by Simon Smith and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.