AUSTRALIA: Tasmanian government passes bill defining Aboriginality

Date: 06/23/2005A highly debated bill defining Tasmanian Aboriginality passed the state Upper House, the second of two Tasmanian legislative chambers, on June 16. The bill requires residents voting in Aboriginal Land Council elections to provide proof of their Aboriginal ancestry, self-identification of Aboriginality, and recognition status from an Aboriginal community. The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC), which runs community programs that help indigenous peoples in legal, health, child care, and dental services, hailed the bill as a victory, reported ABC News Online.

Unsure of the bill’s ultimate effects, Tasmanian Legislative Council member Paul Harriss, along with others from Aboriginal communities, were upset that more dispersed Aboriginal communities had not been consulted about the law. They expressed concern that the TAC would control too much of the Aboriginal identity debate, reported the Hobart Mercury.