How many people in this discussion are actually from Aboriginal descent and dont live in cities and major towns. How can you make a statement of what will they do with it.Surely it is their business what they do with it. To say that their culture is destroyed is very one sided their are lots of aboriginal peoples who still hold their culture strong. I feel these comments are made from people who are scared of losing something so that the wrongs can be righted. So much for reconciliation. Until Australians accept that they live in a land taken not given and gained in such horrendous fashion these problems will continue.The answers have to come from within the people themselves not from trying to deal with symptoms.
I am of Aboriginal descent and my Mother is from the stolen generation.We know all about Govt. policies and the damage they do.
We struggle to understand Australian attitudes to land rights and support Aboriginal ownership of land not just a recognition of cultural and spiritual connection.
Trying to make "blackfellas" into "whitefellas" is not the answer.

Oh please! I stand by my comment that giving back the land *won't* help them! It won't help anyone. I'm not afraid of losing anything, most of the area I live in was once Aboriginal land and I'm all for them having it back, but honestly, what could they do with it? It's urbanised now, they'll never have any real control over it again. It's a losing battle with these areas. I totally think that national park areas and such should be areas that, if they hold historically accurate details of previous Aboriginal inhabitance/usage, should be managed with a majority of indigenous input.

I also stand by my comment about a culture/s destroyed. Yes, there are some aborigines who still have a strong heritage and a strong culture, but they are not the majority. If you come from a strong line of people who have managed to maintain their cultural heritage then I would say that you, are perhaps one of the luckiest Australian's around. I hope you can keep it up. But the fact still remains that most aboriginal clans were destroyed, their cultures and ideals and beliefs outlawed, and the culture that remains today is one that is, has, and always be influenced by western society and cultural beliefs and ideals.

As far as I understood it, Aborigine's have a cyclical view of time of their ownership of the land stemmed from their belonging to it, not of their power over it and their ownership of it. Ownership is a western term...that does not negate the indigenous land rights etc. But I'm just saying, there's not a lot of land left that they'll be able to do much with. If they are given back land that is not already in use for urbanisation etc, then I'm all for it. As long as their cultural beliefs and heritage are carried on through it.