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politics10h ago
Queensland government backflips on plan to contest all native title claims
- Queensland government backtracked on a policy to contest all native title claims in court amid federal court scrutiny.
- The reversal followed a federal court order demanding an explanation for stopping negotiations with Cape York traditional owners.
- Natural Resources Minister Dale Last signaled that the state may still contest some claims, but not as a blanket policy.
- Most native title claims are settled by consent rather than contested in court, making blanket contests costly and slow.
- The court ordered an explanation after the acting director general’s affidavit revealed the February 17 instruction.
- Cape York traditional owners were central to the scrutiny of negotiations and the policy shift.
- Solicitor general Gim Del Villar noted the state would consider evidence and circumstances before deciding to take matters to trial.
- The court indicated that the policy change had created uncertainty about Queensland’s native title process.
- The Guardian reported that the matter remains fluid, with ongoing court management hearings.
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