Working the land they own
The hidden face of land rights in NT
By Alex Cooper
The current public debate over the High Court's Mabo ruling has brought many racists out of the woodwork who claim that Aboriginal land rights will hold back economic development. However several articles, recently published in Land Rights News, illustrated how land rights is actually promoting more ecologically sustainable economic development on cattle stations run by Aboriginal communities and providing jobs in this most marginalised sector of the Australian population.
Aboriginal involvement in the pastoral industry in the Northern Territory goes back over a hundred years, and without ruthlessly exploited Aboriginal labour the industry would never have prospered. But it is only in the last 15 years that some traditional owners of the land have been able to begin to control the way the industry is run on their own land.
The Northern Territory Land Rights Act only allows Aboriginal people to claim proven traditional land that remains vacant Crown land. Most of the economically-useful land has been taken for private use, and under Australian law mineral deposits are not owned by those who own the land under which they are found. So traditional owners have had to try to buy back properties if they hope build an economic base for their communities. The Commonwealth government makes available limited funds for land purchases.
So far about 12 stations in the NT have been bought back by Aboriginal communities and soon the pastoral industry may have to reckon with Aboriginal landholders as significant players in the industry. But many of the properties that have been bought back have been badly degraded by their non-Aboriginal owners, who have often regarded the land as something to be exploited for short-term gain rather than as sustainable economic enterprises.
Elsey Station
Nearly two years ago, the 5340 square kilometre Elsey Station — well known as the setting for the novel We of the Never Never — became one of three Northern Territory pastoral properties to be purchased through the Northern Land Council on behalf of its traditional Aboriginal owners. They were all badly run down by their previous non-Aboriginal owners.
The properties were bought in July 1991 with grants from the Aboriginal Benefits Trust Association (ABTA). Since then all three — Elsey Station near Mataranka, Fitzroy Station near Timber Creek and Muckaty Station, north of Tennant Creek — have been undergoing extensive rebuilding and re-vegetation in preparation for their new role as Aboriginal operated pastoral
Northern Lands Council chairperson Galarrwuy Yunupingu said that all three stations were on their way to their goal of being self supporting. "They will provide jobs for Aboriginal people and allow people to move back onto their traditional land. But there is still a long way to go before they can achieve these goals. All three are still dependent on external funding and will be until they have enough stock turning over each year to support themselves. Without guarantees of government support for infrastructure and training in coming years all three are in danger of going backwards", he said.
With the help of a recent grant from the Bureau of Resource Sciences in Canberra, Elsey Station will be able to maintain a full-time fencing camp for the next two years. This will provide regular and sustained employment for members of the Jilkminggan community and will help people at last to achieve their aim of living and working on their own land.
This June a road train left Elsey Station carrying more than 200 steers bound for the Asian live export market. This shipment will be the first of what are expected to be many cattle sales from Elsey.
Muckaty Station
When the NLC first bought Muckaty Station, 120km north of Tennant Creek the land had been badly overstocked by it's previous owners and was seriously degraded.
The damage to the 2240 sq km property was so severe that the NT Department of Lands made it a condition of sale that there be no cattle put on it for two years. It also said the new Aboriginal owners would have to carry extensive land re-vegetation before returning the property to pastoral use.
It has now been three years since the property has carried livestock. But with the work put in by the traditional owners in conjunction with LandCare, to re-vegetate the most damaged areas the station will soon be ready to start carrying stock again.
However, before this can happen the owners need funding for livestock, housing and fencing. People also want to move back onto the land and are seeking funding through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) to set up three outstations.
Fitzroy Creek
Over the next month station workers at Fitzroy Station outside Timber Creek are expected to brand about 600 new calves.
The calves, the first to be branded since the new Aboriginal owners took over the station are among the 1300 cattle now running on the 1440 sq km property. Eventually the new managers hope to have up to 5000 head of cattle.
Already Fitzroy Station is a very different place to the desolate ungali and Ngaliwurru people took over less than two years ago. Back then there was almost nothing there. Vital equipment such as generators and bore pumps had been taken by the previous owners or stolen. The homestead was in a state of collapse. the land was badly eroded along the river because of previous stocking practices and much of the land was infested with the introduced weed Parkinsonia.
The first task was to prepare a fully laid-out property plan detailing the works that needed to be done to make the station ecologically sustainable and economically viable.
The homestead had to be gutted and rebuilt and new equipment installed. New fences, dams, tanks and bores were constructed and land along the river was fenced off to prevent further damage by stock and to give the area a chance to re-vegetate. Six men were also employed under an Enterprise Employment Assistance Scheme to build new single men's quarters.
Their work is not over. More areas need fencing, more water is needed and workers will soon install permanent cattle yards. Traditional owners also want to build housing on the land.
In the past year the largest of the three properties, Elsey Station has employed more than 60 Aboriginal people. In recent months alone 22 people have been working at the stock camp and at the fencing camp.
When the traditional owners bought the station it came with 3300 branded cattle. Now there are more than 6000. over the next few years they want to increase that number to between 10,000 and 20,000 head.
When the traditional owners took possession only 15% of the property was properly fenced for livestock. But with the help of Aboriginal fencing teams from the local community up to half the land will soon be fenced. This year workers put 70 kms of fencing providing an extra 500 sq kms of paddocks.
Loves Creek
The new Aboriginal management of Loves Creek, a cattle station about 80 km east of Alice Springs is completing the first phase of a de-stocking program to combat land degradation.
As a first step 700 head of cattle have been mustered and moved to Granite Downs station on agistment. The mustering is part of a long-term plan to reduce the total herd by about half, from around 6000 to a herd of 3000 breeders.
With the assistance of the Central Land Council's new Pastoral Unit Loves Creek is developing a long-term management strategy. Peter Peckham, a project officer with the unit, says the plan will include rehabilitation of the degraded areas. "We're planning to resow native grasses in the area, get the land back up. We're also looking at reintroducing a rotation grazing strategy in the long term."
The new management hope to gain funding assistance from the Bureau of Rural Science to assist in the re-vegetation project.
Peckham said the management plan would also have to take into account a large herd of feral brumbies which must be culled to reduce environmental impact and competition for feed.
Although Loves Creek has along history as a pastoral property, the station was in decline and in very poor condition when purchased. Two homesteads on the station are both in a state of disrepair but there are plans to repair both.
Loves Creek was purchased by the Inwemanthwerrere Aboriginal Corporation in November last year. The new manager is Henry Bloomfield, whose family has had lasting ties with the station.
Also purchased recently for the traditional landowners was Alcoota station north east of Alice Springs. The purchase of the station was settled in March this year.
Alcoota Station
In marked contrast to Loves Creek, Alcoota Station has been intensively managed and is regarded as one of the Northern Territory's premier cattle properties. The station is well- stocked and equipped with extensive plant and equipment included in the purchase.
The traditional owners are hoping to generate additional income by tendering for road maintenance contracts in the area, a goal made possible by road grading equipment purchased with the station.
Improvements to the station include a custom designed solar power system to the homestead and buildings, reducing operating costs by around half. The homestead itself is also regarded as a showpiece.
Alcoota also runs a small quality stud herd in addition to its standard production herd. Previous owner Tom Webb has agreed to stay on for six months as manager to provide training assistance and a smooth hand-over for the new management team. The arrangements are a reflection of the long-standing good relations between Webb and the traditional landowners many of whom are already living on the station.
Training
Land rights is vital for Aboriginal people, argues the NLC and CLC, but without the skills to use that land properly they cannot move towards the self-sufficiency and independence that they desire.
Reliable ongoing training programs are fundamental to the long term success of enterprises such as those at Elsey, Fitzroy and Muckaty stations. Until now they have been funded largely through the ATSIC's Enterprise Employment Assistance Scheme. But in July ograms on all three properties ran out. Without the funding to employ trainees and teach them the skills needed to run a pastoral station workers will have to be put off and without them the improvements needed to turn the stations into successful self-sustaining enterprises will not be possible.
Training is recognised as one of the most important components of any successful Aboriginal business enterprise although it is often delivered in an ad-hoc manner. Three different organisations including the NLC are now preparing reports on training needs for Aboriginal pastoral properties.
The NLC is undertaking skills audits at Elsey, Fitzroy and Muckaty to see what staff are needed and to assess their long- term training requirements. On the basis of these studies the council will apply for further ATSIC funding.
The NLC has also recently appointed an Aboriginal trainee pastoral officer, Clayton Stewart to liaise between the council and the traditional owners.
The NLC deputy director, Ray Morrison, said that many older Aboriginal men had spoken about the need for training for the younger generations. "Training is definitely a priority with the old men. A lot of the young fellas don't know how to fix saddles, put up fences or ride horses. Training is a priority with the old fellas to get the young back on the land."
[Land Rights News is published by the Northern Land Councils and subscriptions are $25 a year (Australia) from PO Box 42921, Casuarina NT 0811. International subscriptions US$40 airmail and US$30 surface.]