Traditional Owners are now losing their rights to Corporate Bodies.
Catchwords like negotiation, recognition and consultation have no real meaning in the native title process.
Monies generated from the process are being used to prop up underfunded Prescribed Body Corporates and are not delivering any significant benefits back to the Traditional Owners.
The PBC`s are using the process to further undermine Traditional Owners Rights by speaking for their country and disposing of any members who raise objections against this process.
The words common law holders are now in use and consensus voting is being used to push through agreements which allow exploration on Traditional lands without the consent of the Traditional owners
The Native Title process is being used to empower and enrich a few to the detriment of many.
In my view the words Native and Title mislead Aboriginal people into the beleif that they have actually gained some recognition and control over their lands and lives.
Aboriginal people are now at the mercy of lawyers, CEO`s and mining companies like never before.
Another generation of controllers with the blessing of the Federal Govt. have come to prey on Indigenous Australians

The obvious response to this is: who says?

Leigh asks "Who says"
Well - On Jan 30th news.com.au published results of a five-year detailed examination of land-use agreements between Aborigines, mining companies and governments. The study of "45 contracts by Griffith University academic Ciaran O'Faircheallaigh found that half the agreements were either 'basket cases that should never have been entered into' or had delivered few cultural and monetary benefits to Aborigines. ..........Australia's wealthiest mining regions had the worst record and in many cases indigenous people were trading off rights to protect culturally important areas for limited, short-term benefits. .....The Griffith University study found almost all agreements promised Aborigines some ability to control environmental damage to their traditional lands done in the process of mining, yet that rarely happened." I'm sure there are other such reports. Christina Macpherson www.antinuclearaustralia.com

Christinamac,
I heard this report on SBS the other night - but as I recall, the qualifier SOME was used a lot more frequently in the report than you’re letting on.

I do detect that you had a predetermined opinion on this issue

And so thoughtful of you to chose a nice objective reference like
WWW.AntinuclearAustralia.CON
With a name like that, they are sure to be mining company friendly!

"Aboriginal people are now at the mercy of lawyers, CEO`s and mining companies like never before. Another generation of controllers with the blessing of the Federal Govt. have come to prey on Indigenous Australians"

I think I am correct in saying that "any" person or corporation can own or have right to a certain depth of soil and height of airspace above the ground. As for big business, companies often work on the basis of outspending opponents, black, white or purple. Look at the tobacco companies, for example

I live in Cairns in the midst of urban blackfellows

We have conferred Native Title on our brothers/neighbours here

we title them as Vegemites and our suburb as Vegemite Valley

They all love the joke and we keep away from all the down South lawyer crap, designed to incite racial intolerance

Moral: keep as far from blood sucking lawyers as you can and retain heart's ease