In a submission to the Indigenous Affairs Minister, the Hon Jenny Macklin MP, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre has strongly urged the Minister not to exercise her discretionary power to compulsorily acquire Aboriginal town camps in Alice Springs. 

In August this year, the Minister wrote to Alice Springs town camp residents giving notice of her proposal to compulsorily acquire their land.  For over 12 months the Minister has been seeking to acquire 40-year subleases over the town camps.  When these negotiations broke down, the Minister threatened the exercise of her compulsory acquisition power.  Under the Minister’s power, if the Commonwealth acquires the land of the town camps then all existing rights over the land held by Aboriginal people will end.  

In its submission, the HRLRC strongly urges the Minister not to exercise her extraordinary power to compulsorily acquire the Alice Springs town camps because to do so would:

1. be in breach of a number of Australia’s international obligations to respect and promote the human rights of Aboriginal Australians;
2. not be effective in achieving the Federal Government’s objective of improving the lives of the residents of the Alice Springs town camps;
3. seriously damage and undermine the relationship between the Federal Government and Aboriginal Australians; and
4. be likely to severely damage Australia’s international reputation.

Click here for a copy of the HRLRC’s media release.

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