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On behalf of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the North Queensland Land Council we are pleased to welcome you to the Native Title Conference 2007. This year the conference is being hosted by the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people, traditional owners of the Cairns region. We wish to thank the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people for inviting us to hold the conference on their country. The theme of the conference – Tides of Native Title – will focus on the ebb and flow of native title law, policy and practice since the High Court decision in Mabo 15 years ago and the relationship between native title, Indigenous communities and the country. Sub-themes include:
The conference is now in its eighth year having been previously held in Darwin, Coffs Harbour, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Geraldton, Townsville and Melbourne. Each conference has been strongly supported by the staff and council of the native title representative bodies, native title claimants and holders, their legal counsel, native title practitioners such as anthropologists, government institutions and departments, politicians, judges, academics and others. This year’s conference is taking place in a climate of change: the Federal Government’s reforms to the native title system, including the new amending legislation and significant institutional change. Significant decisions have occurred in the Federal Court over the last 12 months and subsequent appeals, while Indigenous people actively manage and exercise their rights and responsibilities over their country. In this context we believe this year’s event will prove particularly significant. The conference provides a rare opportunity for all involved to come together and engage critically and collegially with the rapidly evolving practice of native title. e hope you find your participation a rewarding experience, and that together we can make the business of native title more meaningful to the dynamic cultures of Indigenous people in today’s world.
Professor Mick Dodson, AM
Terry O’Shane Conference convenorsAustralian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS)AIATSIS is Australia’s premier institution for research into Indigenous issues. Our vision is to improve knowledge and understanding of Australian Indigenous cultures, past and present. The Institute began its work in 1961, and was formally established in 1964 as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. It was the first Commonwealth statutory authority to focus on Australian Indigenous Studies. Today, staff of approximately 130 people, directed by the Principal, engages in a range of services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, scholars and the public. The Native Title Research Unit (NTRU) within the Research Section of AIATSIS provides high quality independent research and policy advice in order to promote the recognition and protection of the native title of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The Native Title Research Unit facilitates access to the Institute's collections and publishes the results of their research both as a source of public information and academic publication. North Queensland Land Council (NQLC)The North Queensland Land Council is the recognised native title representative body under Section 203AD of the Native Title Act 1993 for the Cairns regional area. The NQLC area extends from the Daintree and Bloomfield Rivers in the north, to Mission Beach in the south, and west to beyond Croydon. The region contains approximately 15 defined Aboriginal language groups and many sub groups of these major language groupings. As an Aboriginal community based organisation the NQLC has our global goals set out in our Vision and Mission statements. Our Vision is for ‘a service region where the native title rights and interests of our constituents are recognised, respected and protected’. Our Mission is ‘to lead and co-ordinate, through the delivery of professional services, meaningful, fair and equitable native title outcomes for the native title holders of our region’. Conference hostsGimuy Walubara Yidinji PeopleThe area of the foreshore of the City of Cairns was traditionally known as Gimuy- after the Slippery Blue Fig Tree. The traditional lands of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji People extend south of the Barron River to Wrights Creek (south of Edmonton), west into the ranges behind Cairns, and east into Trinity Inlet, including Admiralty Island, to the adjacent waters of the outer Great Barrier Reef. The lands in the Cairns suburb of Woree, close to Admiralty Island and Trinity Inlet, were the principal traditional camping grounds of the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji people. In the early days of colonisation following the establishment of Cairns in 1876, it was referred to as the "Fourmile camp" - being located roughly four miles south of the Cairns Post Office. In 1905 Ye-i-nie, an Elder and leader of the Gimuy Walubara clan was recognised by the Queensland Government for his leadership and peace-making skills during a period of great conflict between the settlers of Cairns and the Gimuy Yidinji people. In 2005, the centenary of the recognition of Ye-i-nie's leadership was celebrated by his descendants and the Cairns City Council with the unveiling of his photographic portrait in the Cairns City Library in Abbott Street. Conference venueThe Conference is being held at The Cairns Convention Centre, for information about the venue please click on their website, below. » CONFERENCE VENUEConference artworkThe artwork for the Native Title Conference 2007 was created by Gimuy Walubara Yidinji man Justin ‘Punk’ Neal. The concentric circles represent Bama (people) at a campfire, or the places from where all the delegates have travelled. The dots represent the movement of Bama from their home toward the meeting place in Cairns (the Native Title Conference 2007) where delegates will meet and share stories. The lines between the circles represent the mainstream system through which people must walk, to seek recognition of native title, and which we will also talk about at the conference. |
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Page last updated: 22 May, 2007
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