"For We are One and Free"

Native Title Claim targets 3500 properties on the Redlands Coast East of Brisbane

A South East Queensland council will be up for $210m in legal fees to keep control of thousands of sites - including sporting grounds - that have been claimed by an Aboriginal group.

The group has made native title claims on 3500 sites covering more than 530sq km on the Redlands Coast just east of Brisbane.

The claim demands that sporting clubs, the Redlands Performing Arts Centre, the local cemetery and even the council chambers are handed over to Indigenous people.

And, as if that is not troubling enough, the Albanese government has removed funding to respondents whilst continuing to fund claimants.

That means the Indigenous claimants will have access to millions in government funding to make their claims in the Federal Court, while the local council - by which I mean ratepayers - will have to rely entirely on their own resources.

It’s a double whammy for taxpayers.

I’m old enough to remember when Scott Morrison changed the national anthem to from “we are young and free” to “we are one and free”.

Well we’re certainly not “one” and increasingly being denied the freedom to enjoy public amenities if we are not from the right race.

As of 30 June 2023, there were 38,339 Aboriginal land claims awaiting assessment in New South Wales alone.

If the Voice gets up, expect even more of this.