Dear mikk
What is the point of your comment "the decision may or may not be "mean spirited" but you certainly are Leigh"? You can judge by her views that Leigh is "mean spirited"? Leigh is supposed to support the views of Monica unless she be labeled as mean-spirited? How juvenile.
Monica and her supporters bombed out re native Title. Not surprisingly because it was always going to be extremely difficult going from Mabo to Wik.
But no worry Monica, keep the flag flying; live in the Dreamtime and blame everybody else for any difficulties you encounter. Who knows they may even make a documentary about the Yorta Yorta people, whoever they are,on SBS. All the best.

Monica is being unduly pessimistic . What political or legal identity, with any nous, could pass up such a perfect issue on which to grandstand . There is a very real likelihood that some future govt will find the latitude to overturn this decision, however well founded and, make some grand gesture (à la “The Apology”). Grand gestures are very much in vogue and, they look good on CVs when ex-politicians are applying for NGO or UNO positions.

I caught a program on radio national a week back about a similar “land rights” saga on the outskirts of Darwin.The local council had extended the boundaries of Darwin to accommodate future development and in doing so had extinguished native title.There followed a series or hearings ,decisions & appeals with the native claimant being found-against more often than not, but continuing to appeal, appeal and appeal . Eventually a new labour administration halted all action ,defaulting the land to the claimants . The ABC as is its way, presented it as a version of Little Red Riding Hood –with the wolf being the council. But, if you’re able to see past the spin, you get a somewhat different vista – various legal identities bent over backwards to make the claim stick .It is doubtful that had the claimant been other than Aborigine they would had been allowed similar latitude.

And I have personal experience with similar latitude being shown in a claim made on a crown owned flood-reserve property in northern NSW.Having myself had a very close association with the property involved I know that for at least 3-4 generations, no Aborigine has lived on, visited, or I doubt, even passed nearby to the property– so the supposedly key shibboleth “connection with the land” didn’t apply . Yet over and above the opposition of local farmers, the claimant was granted title