A Local Aboriginal Land Council once described as among the wealthiest in the network has confirmed the exciting economic journey of land rights: sell a major parcel, lose money, enter administration, recover, then develop more land to afford cleaning up the land everyone else damaged.
Economists are calling it a bold new model of self-determination known as “Congratulations, You Own The Problem Now.”
Under the system, Aboriginal communities are encouraged to convert land into capital, capital into services, services into survival and survival into a case study for government brochures.
“It’s empowering” said one policy adviser. “Instead of being dispossessed by the state, communities can now negotiate directly with planners, developers, lawyers, consultants, objectors, market cycles, environmental reports and the old bloke at council who says he supports reconciliation but not near his street.”
Community members said they were proud of every gain… but tired of a model where Country has to keep proving its worth in dollars before anyone will fund basic needs.
The land said it was happy to help, but asked whether one day it might be allowed to be valuable without turning into a subdivision first.
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