Aboriginal Law Bulletin; Naru News --- "Short Collateral" [1987] AboriginalLawB 10; (1987) 1(25) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 3

• Short Collateral

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Short Collateral

Mrs Katherine Strehlow has supposedly handed over the Strehlow collection to the Northern Territory Government for an undisclosed sum. In addition, a seven year contract as a research officer for the government has been concluded despite failing to finish her Master of Arts in Anthropology under Professor David Turner of

the University of Toronto.

Mr David Connolly, the Opposition spokesman on Aboriginal affairs released the new Opposition policy on April 13, 1987. Although it was nearly two weeks after April Fools Day, there were many elements of the policy that resembled a bad joke. It seems 'land rights would be banned' with the conservatives in power, DAA amalgamated into a 'mega-department' community affairs, and Aboriginal assistance would be means tested. There was even a reference to the non-existent National Aboriginal Conference-it would be replaced!

Professor Thomas Berger was chief Counsel in Calder v A-G of British Columbia (1973) SCR 313, the case which forced the Canadian Trudeau Government to take Indian claims more seriously. He was also Commissioner of an Inquiry into the social, economic and environmental impact of a pipeline in northern Canada-the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. As Commissioner he insisted that Indian opponents to the pipeline be funded to prepare their arguments. Recently he published Village Journey. The Report of the Alaska Native Review Commission, Hill & Wang, NY (1985).

Professor Berger is visiting Australia at the invitation of the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES). He is speaking at a conference on Aborigines and Development in the Kimberleys (WA) from 11-13 May and is assisting in the East Kimberley Impact Assessment Project. He is also speaking at a seminar at the Redfern Town Hall, Friday 29 May, 10.00am - 1.00pm.

Dr Ron Libby has put the finishing touches to the proofs of his book The Politics of Economic Power in Southern Africa. He is currently on field work in Perth, Canberra and Melbourne completing the research for a project which will evaluate the effectiveness of the Australian Mining industry's campaign against national Aboriginal land rights legislation. He has a forthcoming article Transnational Corporations and the National Bourgeoisie Regional Expansion and Party Realignment in South Africa in I.L.Markovitz (ed.), Studies in Power and Class in Africa, OUP, New York, 1987.

Dr Ciaran O’Faircheallaigh has been preparing results from earlier field work for publication. A NARU monograph on Mine Infrastructure and Economic Development and an ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Paper on the NT Economy went to press, and work continued on articles dealing with mineral policies in the Australian states and on economic development in remote resource regions of Australia and Canada. He delivered papers to the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Darwin Branch Annual Forum in December ('Future Markets for Kakadu Uranium') and to the Federalism Project Conference in Canberra in February ('Mineral Policies in the States'), jointly with Brian Galligan and Aynsley Kellow. Field work for a study of the Nabarlek uranium mines impact on the economic and social status of Aboriginal people will begin at the start of the dry season.

Dr John Taylor is at present worming on an analysis of the spatial and temporal patterns of Population Movement amongst the Aboriginal Population into and out of Darwin. This work is based on the reconstruction of life histories from a selection of the permanent and visiting Aboriginal population in town camps, hostels and public housing areas. This is a prelude to a wider study of population mobility in Northern Australia.

Naru News No 20