The Wire

Now a look at a group of islands located between Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria and Cape Portland in Tasmania, where after much debate and delay, the ownership of Cape Barren and Clarke Islands will be officially handed back to members of the Aboriginal community next week. It’s a big win for Aboriginal Tasmanians and one they’ve fought hard for, but not everyone is happy with the outcome. Premier Paul Lennon will hand the land back to its traditional owners in a special transfer ceremony to be held on Cape Barren Island on the May 10th. State Secretary of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Trudy Maluga says the government’s decision to return Cape Barren and Clarke Islands is commendable. Ms Maluga hopes negotiations for more land hand-back schemes will continue. But former ATSIC Commissioner Rodney Dillon is not as quick to praise the government for its latest decision – he’s concerned that other Indigenous Tasmanians are missing out because of flaws in the land deal. Mr Dillon says the current labour government is selective about which Aboriginal groups they will negotiate with, and he would like to see them talk with family groups instead of organisations.