Activists pitch native title demands

UPDATE: 3.50PM The Noongar tent embassy has been given two days by the council to pack up and leave Heirisson Island, but the acitvist have vowed to stay on.

Tent embassy spokesman, Greg Martin, said the council had not told them of the ulitmatum at a meeting this morning.

He said the council had met with an embassy delegation this morning and said while the council was happy to have the Noongar people on the land they were not allowed to camp.

“This is our land, this our territory and we are asserting our right,” Mr Martin said.

“It is our free right as landowners.”

He said the tent embassy would stay as long as it was needed and was in affect now a permanent fixture.

This afternoon around 40 Noongars, including many elders, met to discuss plans for the embassy and draw up a strategy to tackle the Government’s $1 billion offer to settle native title claims over Perth and the south west.

The group are opposing the deal arguing it is inadequate and unfair.

Spokeswoman for the new tent embassy, Vanessa Culbong, said most "grassroots Noongar people and local elders" supported the protest and the group would stay for "as long as it takes".

Ms Culbong said there were 35,000 Noongars but only a handful were consulted on the deal.

She said Noongars would not relinquish their rights over native title until every Noongar person had full access to housing, education and employment.

The tent embassy was set up on Sunday evening and about a dozen campers were settling in on the Swan River island yesterday.

Noongar elder Ben Taylor said he supported the tent embassy and the push for Noongars to have greater input into the deal.

"We want sovereignty. We want to power to run our own lives. We want land," Mr Taylor said.

Another Noongar elder, former ATSIC commissioner Spencer Riley, described the deal as unfair and like a "ration order".

"A lot of Noongar people are unhappy about this," Mr Riley said.

The architect of the native title offer, Glen Kelly from the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, said the deal had a long way to go and he welcomed input from all interested people.

"No deal has been done yet and people can still provide input," Mr Kelly said.

Meetings had started with extended family groups and larger meetings would be held throughout the south west in the next six months to let people know what was happening and invite input.

City of Perth chief executive Frank Edwards said the council, which is responsible for Heirisson Island, was aware of the camp and was "considering the situation".