NOVEMBER 9 2020 - 5:30PM
NAIDOC Week 2020: Preminghana
petroglyph return stalls, despite
agreements reached in August
Despite Tasmania's major museums and the City of Launceston agreeing to repatriate the Preminghana petroglyphs to the West Coast over three months ago, the Aboriginal community claims it has not received any updates from the state government.
The Launceston council submitted a permit application with the government in late-August, which required the approval of Aboriginal Affairs Minister Roger Jaensch.
The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania believed this decision should have been easy for the government, but concerns were growing over further delays.
ALCT chair Michael Mansell said approval from the minister would allow the issue to progress to determining the physical way in which the ancient rock carvings could be returned.
The Preminghana petroglyphs remain in storage at the QVMAG in Launceston and at TMAG in Hobart.
"We can't do that without the tick off from minister, Roger Jaensch," he said.
"Once we get the technical approval, the land council would meet with the premier, the minister and representatives of the museums, with advice from a person in Queensland who is regarded as a national expert in the repatriation of rock art.
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"We've been a bit surprised that by the end of August the museums had put their applications in, and now we're in November and we've heard absolutely nothing from the government."
The rock carvings are about six-foot in height and were removed from their position on the West Coast in the 1960s. They are part of a 20-kilometre network of carvings in the area that give insight into Aboriginal history.
The ALCT made a formal request in December last year for the repatriation of the petroglyphs from the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. TMAG agreed to the proposal.
In June, the City of Launceston voted to remove them from the QVMAG collection, and an application was submitted with the government in August.
Mr Mansell initially hoped to have the matter dealt with by September.
Mr Jaensch said the government is waiting on "final advice" from the director of Parks and Wildlife.
"I expect to receive this imminently, and a decision will be made on the permits following receipt of that advice," he said.
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NAIDOC Week 2020: Tasmanian Aboriginal community questions stalled land returns process
Fifteen years since the Tasmanian Government's last significant return of land to the Aboriginal community, the land council is asking this question during NAIDOC Week 2020: "what is the problem?"
When the Aboriginal Land Act was introduced in Tasmania in 1995 - resulting in the Aboriginal Land Council - more than 55,000 hectares of land covering 15 areas was returned.
Ten were returned in 1995, and Parliament approved two more in 1999 and 2005, but none since, apart from private landowners transferring portions of their land to Aboriginal stewardship.
With the 2020 NAIDOC week theme "Always Was, Always Will Be", the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre has sought to put renewed pressure on the government for answers.
Areas near the Bay of Fires and Mount William National Park are among those the Tasmanian Aboriginal community hopes to have returned. Picture: Adam Holmes
In his address at the flag raising ceremony, the TAC's Adam Thompson said that without "concrete acts" to repair damage, the week would pass again with "shallowness".
"The return of those lands was the very first meaningful step on the long road to restitution. But after 2005, the conversation abruptly stopped," he said.
"In the last 15 years, the only meaningful acknowledgement that this land is as it has always has been Aboriginal land has been through the generosity of private citizens.
"It is both a triumph and a tragedy that restitution for the wrongs of the past is being carried out by individuals rather than the collective acts of government.
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"Why during NAIDOC Week cannot the premier announce the returns of stolen lands? Why? What is the problem?"
Areas that the ALCT hopes will be returned next include those near the Bay of Fires and wukalina/Mount William on the East Coast, and the West Coast Aboriginal landscape stretching from near Marrawah south to the area near the Pieman River, according to chair Michael Mansell.
The ALCT has a vision of improving recognition of these areas under its stewardship, including rebuilding villages on the West Coast.
"We need our own people looking after our own heritage, then improving the quality of the presentation for visitors by people who are authentic and can talk about what the rock carvings mean and rebuild the villages," Mr Mansell said.
The nirmena nala rock shelter in the Derwent Valley was returned in 2015.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Roger Jaensch said the government was reviewing the model for returning land, but COVID had delayed a second round of consultation.
"The government is looking at potential options for land returns, and will continue to have conversations with Tasmanian Aboriginal communities on areas of land that are of interest to them," he said.
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NAIDOC Week 2020: Mayor apologises
for the times 'we have got it wrong' on
Aboriginal affairs
Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten has apologised for the times the council "got it wrong" in its dealings with the Aboriginal community, but has promised it will listen closely and act upon concerns in the future.
Cr van Zetten spoke at the flag raising ceremony at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre on Charles Street on Monday morning to launch NAIDOC Week 2020, delayed from July due to COVID.
He said the council was committed to ensuring the Aboriginal community was brought along in its decision-making.
"I do want to apologise for the times we have got it wrong," he said.
"We are continuing to learn and understand. I think what we need to continue to do is to continue to listen, and continue to try to understand where you're coming from, and we want to do that.
"Please be patient with us as we try to go on that journey together.
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"Yes, sometimes we're slow to learn, but we are getting there. I know that I have come a long way in 10 years and I'm sure the community will continue to come along as well."
Cr van Zetten pointed to last year's Australia Day decision as evidence the city was moving in a positive direction.
The decision drew some negative feedback from various parts of the Launceston community, but the mayor said it was the council's responsibility to ensure all of the community was brought together, and they would not shy away from showing leadership.
"I know that I got a lot of negative comments from doing that - and we will get that - but we want to continue to work so we can bring all of the community together, it's not just about one or the other, it's about all of us trying to work together," Cr van Zetten said.
In recent years, the council's refurbishment of Civic Square drew criticism from the TAC due to its history pavers including John Batman, but having limited reference to the city's Aboriginal history. The council last year voted to begin working on a Reconciliation Action Plan
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