By George McKenzie and Kate Bickford
Noongar Native Title Determination Over Perth
On 19 September, Justice Wilcox handed down a decision in the Federal Court that Noongar hold native title over the Perth metropolitan area.
In an article in The Weekend Australian of 24 – 24 September Noel Pearson, the well known Aboriginal leader, says:
"…Noongar is not a legal bombshell because it does not extend the law on native title beyond what was already decided by the High Court of Australia…It is not even a political bombshell…The bombshell in Noongar is moral and psychological."
This is an accurate assessment of the decision.
The bombshell noted by Pearson lies in the fact that few thought it likely that any native title claim would be successful in urban Australia. Recognition of native title has been seen as a matter confined to remote and regional areas of the country.
