Access

08/31/2024

So, watching Crocodile Dundee for the first time in 39 years, you’d expect out of date references, especially since it was effectively a comedy.

When it came to the soliloquy on land rights though, nothing’s changed except the language.

Back then, the best explanation was that the aboriginies didn’t own the land, it owned them, or they were part of the land, or it would still be there when we were all gone. Overall, the concept of Aboriginal ownership was usefully diminished.

Now, in the welcome to country, the aboriginies are listed as the former custodians of the land. That is, they were just minding it for us until we came along.

The concept of “ownership” is where the aboriginies are attacked in the English language. Which is an obvious weak spot because the aboriginies didn’t have a titles office.

Truth is though, it’s better to focus on access. Before the white fellows, the black fellas had unfettered access to their own tribal land. That’s no longer true.

But they couldn’t just willy nilly wander into the neighbouring mob’s land. Access rights look a lot like ownership to me