Land council hopes claim success will continue
Posted
The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council says it hopes the successful claim of Wagga Wagga's former motor registry building in the High Court last week will speed up 9,000 other outstanding land claims.
The council's chairwoman, Bev Manton, says the Crown land claims were the only compensation left open to Aboriginal people in the state.
Ms Manton says the growing number of young Aboriginal people who would need jobs and housing was making the claims more pressing than ever.
"Fifty per cent of our Aboriginal population is 20 years and under," she said.
"There's a steam train coming here, we need to prepare for that, for the arrival of that train.
"We need to prepare for the young people becoming adults and needing and requiring housing and some enterprises and jobs for their future."
Meanwhile, the Member for Wagga, Darryl Maguire, says he believes the Gumly Gumly school might be the next target of a claim by the Wiradjuri Regional Aboriginal Land Council.
He says he hopes it will help the Aboriginal community and highlight issues such as health, education and housing.
