Dothe Draftterms Ofreferencecaptureallofthekeyissuesarisingundertheact Relatingtoconnection

KimberleyLandCouncil

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28June2013

SUBMISSIONTOTHEATTORNEYGENERAL'SDEPARTMENTCONCERNINGTHE DRAFTTERMSOFREFERENCEFORTHE

AUSTRALIANLAWREFORMCOMMISSION'SREVIEW OFTHENATIVETITLEACT1993

Dothe draftterms ofreferencecaptureallofthekeyissuesarisingundertheAct relatingtoconnection, andauthorisationand joinder?

1. Thedrafttermsofreferencearethemselvessufficientlybroadtocaptureallofthe keyissuesarisingundertheActrelatingtoconnection,andauthorisationand joinder.Accordingly,theKLC'ssubmissioninresponsetothisquestionislimited tomatters whichfalltobe addressed underthetwobullet-pointsinthedraft termsofreference,butwhicharenotcanvassedinthe"Background"discussion includedintheDepartment's"ScopeofReview"paper.

2. InBodneyvBennell[2008]FCAFC63at[96]to[97],theFullCourtdiscussedthe impermissibilityofconsideringtheeffectofEuropeansettlementasamitigating factor,for thepurposeofconsideringwhetherparticularchangestolawsand customsconstitutedacceptableadaptations,or causedthemtolosetheir "traditional"character.Anamendmentaddressingthedefinitionof"traditional"in paragraph223(1)(a)oftheNTAwhichhadtheeffectofreversingtheFullCourt's pronouncementonthispointwouldseemrelativelyuncontroversial, andwould indeedseemtoaccordwithcommonsense.

3. InconsideringtheprovisionsoftheActandcaselawconcerningthejoinderof membersoftheclaimgroupasdescribedinanapplicationasrespondentparties to that application, attention needs to be given to section 84D of the Act. Subsection 84D(1) andparagraph84D(2)(c)givemembersofaclaimgroupas describedinanapplicationstandingtoseekordersrequiringtheapplicantforthe mainapplicationtoproduceevidencetodemonstratethat ithasbeenproperly authorised,orthatthemannerinwhichithasdealt,orisdealing,withparticular mattershasbeen/iswithinthescopeofitsauthority.

Accordingly,paragraph84D(2)(c) hasconsiderable potentialtoamelioratethe obstaclestoclaimgroupmembersbeingjoinedasrespondentstoapplications. However,thatpotential isbeingadverselyimpactedbyuncertaintyastowhether a member of a claim group who is not a respondent has standingto seek

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consequentialordersunderparagraph84D(4)(b)(seeCorunnaonbehalfofthe SwanRiverPeoplevStateof WesternAustralia[2010] FCA1113,perSiopisJat [22]to[23]),andastowhetherparagraph 84D(4)(b)confersapoweronthe Courttodismissanapplication.' Amendmentswhichconfirmedthatmembersof theclaimgroupfora mainapplicationwhosuccessfullyappliedforanorder pursuanttosubsection840(1) andparagraph84D(2)(c)could thenseek consequentialrelief-including(inappropriatecases)anorderthatthe main application bedismissed-wouldsignificantlyoffsetthehurdles totheirbeing joinedasrespondents,withoutcreatinganyofthedifficultiesthatcanbecaused byconferringpartystatuson"dissident"claimgroupmembers.

Arethereanyadditionalissuesthatshouldbeincludedinthetermsofreference?

Operationofs190C(3)

4.Anissuewhichisrelatedtotheidentificationofbarrierstoclaimants'accessto andprotectionofnativetitlerightsandbenefitsisthearguablyarbitraryoperation ofsubsection190C(3)oftheAct.Thisprovisionhastheeffectthatifthereisan existing registered claim overan area,alater native title determination applicationwhichboth:

(a)overlapswiththeexistingapplication;and

(b)ismade onbehalf ofaclaim group whichcontains any ofthe same peopleasthosecoveredbytheexistingapplication;

willnotbecapableofbeingregistered.

5.NorationaleforthisprovisionwasprovidedintheExplanatoryMemorandumfor theNativeTitleAmendmentBill1997.Tothe extentthatitmaybeseenasa reactiontothesituationthatoccurredundertheoriginalNTA, whereamining companymightberequiredtonegotiatewithapplicantsformultipleoverlapping claims,theprovisionisananachronism,giventhecombinedeffectofthemerits provisions of the registration test, and the manner in which the Court has interpretedsubsection61(1)oftheActasrequiringclaimantapplicationstobe madeonbehalfofproperly-constitutedclaimgroups.2

1TheExplanatoryMemorandumfortheNativeTitleAmendment(TechnicalAmendments)Bill 2007 addressedtheCourt'spowerunderparagraph84D(4)(b)at[1.288],makingclearthroughthefollowing illustrationthatthedrafterssawtheprovisionasextendingtoordersfordismissalofthemainapplication:

"[W]heretheevidenceproduced followinganordermadeunderproposedsubsection84D(1) indicatesthattheapplicant isnolongerauthorised,theCourtcouldmakeanorderthatthe applicationbedismissedwithinacertaintimeperiodifamemberormembersoftheclaimgroup donotmakeanapplicationundersection66Btoreplacetheapplicant...'1

However,outofapparentcaution,applicationsforordersundersubsection84D(l)tendtobecombined withapplicationsforstrike-outordersundersection84C(seeforexampleVioletCarr andOtherson Behalf of theWellingtonValleyWiradjuriPeoplevPremierofNewSouthWales[2013]FCA200).The problem withthisapproachis thatitisnotavailabletoamember oftheclaimgroupforamain application,unlessthepersonisalsoarespondent totheproceeding.

2Thisrequirementisincorporatedinto theregistrationtestbywayofsubsection190C(2)oftheAct.

6. While the Act itself distinguishes between a claim which has failed the registrationtestonthemerits, andonewhichhassatisfiedallofthemerits provisions, but failed on procedural grounds3, other stakeholders - including governmentagencies-donotmakethesamedistinction,andwhileunregistered claimswhichhavesatisfiedallmeritsprovisionsoftheregistrationtestareableto proceedthroughtodetermination, theapplicantsforsuchclaimshaveno proceduralrightswhatsoever,intheinterveningperiod beforetheirclaimsare determined.

7.Accordingly, it is submitted that the ALRC's terms of reference should be amendedsoastoencompassthequestionwhethersubsection190C(3)should berepealed.

FutureActsbyStateGovernments

8. TheKLChasconcernthatcertainactivitiesareundertakenby variousState Governments (andin particular the Western Australian Government) either withoutregardto,orwithconsciousdisregardfor, thefutureactprocesses containedwithintheAct.

9.PresentlytheActcontainsnoprovisionstoeitherpreventordetersuchactivities.

10.ItissubmittedthattheALRC'stermsofreferenceshouldbeamendedsoasto encompass a review of the future act provisions of the Act with a view to preventing anddeterringStateorTerritoryGovernmentsengaginginactivities withoutfollowingthefullfutureactprocessessetoutintheAct.

Yoursfaithfully

JACKICOLE

PrincipalLegalOfficer KimberleyLand Council

3Subsection190F(5)oftheActhastheeffectthatthesummarydismissalprovisionforunregistered claimscontainedinsubsection190F(6)doesnotapplytoapplications whichhavepassedallthemerits provisionsoftheregistrationtest.