South Australian Premier MIKE RANN yesterday handed a 21,000 square kilometres un-named conservation park in the state's west back to the Maralinga Tjarutja and Pila Nguru traditional owners. Premier RANN says the handback fulfils a promise he made as Aboriginal affairs minister in 1991. It's the biggest tract of land returned since 1984, taking in parts of the Great Victoria Desert, the Nullarbor Plain, the Serpentine Lakes and various archaeological deposits. But as South Australian ATSIC Commissioner Klynton Wanganeen points out, it’s much more important for traditional owners to be able to roam freely across their homelands, maintaining the songlines and traditional customs.

Ngarrindjeri elders have travelled from the Coorong in South Australia to Victoria this week – for a ceremony in which the Museum has handed 74 Ngarrindjeri ancestral remains back to their people. ATSIC Commissioner Klynton Wanganeen says that while he welcomes the return of ancestors, the state government should seriously considering supporting the Ngarrindjeri to properly care for the remains. Museum Victoria has an ongoing program to return remains – which has seen them give back more than 850 sets of human remains to communities around the country since 1985. Museum CEO Dr Patrick Green has expressed his sorrow and regret for past practices, apologising for the ongoing distress the removal of remains had caused to the Ngarrindjeri peoples. But with ancestral remains being dug up in Victoria at the rate of 6 to 10 per year – it seems that the museum will continue returning ancestors to their peoples for some time yet. The Museum’s Head of Indigenous Cultures, Michael Green, speaks about the remains handed back today – and the issues surrounding museums and Aboriginal communities.

The Northern Territory continues to bear the brunt of the conflict between customary law and government law. Katharine Aboriginal Legal Service’s Peter O’Brien says changes must be made to allow for these cross-cultural needs. An example he cites is the need for Aboriginal people to be released on bail to satisfy the requirements of traditional punishment before going to court. When the Wire contacted Northern Territory Justice Minister Peter Toyne for his comments, a spokesman said the government’s position on allowing time for traditional punishments as part of bail was already clear - and they would not consider changes.

Health outcomes for Indigenous Australians are being placed under the microscope at two upcoming conferences in an attempt to boost poor health standards. Professor Alan Coates of the Australian Cancer Council says talks underway in Darwin will focus on reducing the impact of cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – where sufferers are twice as likely to die as non-Indigenous cancer patients. Sean Brennan from the University of New South Wales says their discussion in September will take a more holistic approach to Indigenous health – looking at how a treaty would boost the mental and social wellbeing of Australia’s first people, in turn improving their physical health.