WIK - What does it mean for you?

Museum Victoria presented an evening of public information and discussion about what native title means in Victoria.

Speakers
Mark Grist
Mark is Curator in Museum Victoria’s Indigenous Cultures Program. He is also the chairperson for the North West Clans in Victoria and is currently working with other Aboriginal descendants of NW Victoria on preparing their land claim to the traditional areas of their ancestors. His work relating to this land claim will be the basis of his presentation. Mark has completed a BA Hons in Archaeology from ANU and has worked as an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Officer for ten years in NW Victoria.

Sue Kee
Sue is the Regional Coordinator of the Melbourne registry of the National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT), and was previously with the Perth Registry of the NNTT since 1995. She has been responsible for the coordination and management of Native Title Determination Applications in Western Australia’s South West, Goldfields and Pilbara regions. Sue will talk about the Tribunal operations in Victoria in the context of the Native Title Act 1993. Issues covered will include the native title determination process, the future act process, and the role of the Tribunal in mediation and arbitration of applications.

Peter Seidel
Peter is a practicing Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme and Federal Courts. He practices within the Commercial Litigation and Native Title departments of Arnold Bloch Leibler Solicitors. His major client is the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal community, the applicant in a Federal Court Native Title Claim. Evidence in the Yorta Yorta claim was heard in the Federal Court over a period of a year from October 1996. Final submissions are due to commence in May this year. This case highlights such critically important matters of national and international significance as the source and content of native title for Aboriginal peoples. Peter spoke about the legal issues surrounding the proceedings, and the potential impact of the coalition’s proposed changes to the Native Title Act on the rights of the native title holders, subsequent to a determination of native title.

Wayne Atkinson
Wayne is a descendent of the Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Warung people from the Loddon region. He will talk about his experiences in preparing and lodging the Yorta Yorta land claim which he has worked on for the last twenty years. He was one of the principal claimants for the Yorta Yorta claim in 1985. Wayne is currently completing his PhD studies in land, heritage and native title matters at La Trobe University.