Elspeth A Young

Mabo: An Inspiration for Australian Land Management

Recognition of native land title following the High Court of Australias Mabo judgment of 19921 has generated considerable misunderstanding and even fear among some sectors of the Australian commun...

Reconciliation or exclusion? Integrating indigenous and non-indigenous land management concepts for Australia's Native Title era

Indigenous and non-indigenous concepts of land ownership and use are fundamental elements in Australian debate on the implications of Native Title for development. However these approaches are not necessarily incompatible but can be reconciled. Drawing on evidence from the central Australian rangelands, this paper argues that the adaptations of land use practised by indigenous people, who have converted their land tenure from pastoral leasehold to Aboriginal freehold land, suggest that such reconciliation is possible and practical. Provision of appropriate support tools, such as participatory extension for improved land management, or community land management planning, strengthen the integration of indigenous and non-indigenous land management approaches. Successful integration will be essential for the management of Australia’s rangelands under Native Title.

Sustainability, development and rural aboriginal communities

SUMMARY Aborigines, because of their population numbers and increasing control over land and resources, are crucial to the sustainable development of rural Australia. However, appropriate Aboriginal development requires the replacement of the ‘top‐down’ approaches generally adopted by government agencies by ‘bottom‐up’ approaches reflecting the needs and aspirations of rural Aboriginal people. Past experience demonstrates that Aborigines have faced many frustrations in reconciling these concepts. But some approaches now being adopted in the use and management of Australias rangelands provide interesting alternatives which may be more generally applicable in enhancing rangeland sustainability. Examples include land‐use practices conducted by Aborigines living in remote homeland centres on their own freehold land, and the diversity of land uses introduced on pastoral stations now under Aboriginal ownership. Broader recognition of the value of these approaches will depend on widespread acknowledgment of the...