There appears to be some dismay in the community that the Yes vote for the Voice was defeated.
To those people may I point out the very things that, we assume, the Voice was going to address are already being addressed by the 121 Local Land Councils which exist in Australia.
These Land Councils were set-up under the Land Rights Act of 1983 to better the lives of people of Aboriginal descent.
Whilst they are not perfect and in some cases are more concerned in acquiring wealth, the fact is that some councils, such as Cobar Land Council, have gone a long way in addressing the problems in their communities.
I am sure that this fact has not gone unnoticed by the Labor Party and I would expect that they will now funnel more grants and help through these bodies.
In the last financial year our local land council (Darkinjung) received grants of $7.422M, much of it for the development of its lands.
Whilst this might to some seem excessive they are the largest landholders on the Central Coast and as long as the result of these grants do benefit their people it may well be to their long-term advantage.
There is of course some concern that not all the land which they have claim to is suitable for development and it is this that is the subject of dispute.
It would be helpful therefore if the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs David Harris, our local State Member, was to be more proactive in trying to bring all parties together to resolve these issues.
Email, Oct 25
Geoff Mitchell, Kariong