Book review: Wik, Mining and Aborigines

Abstract

Wik is generally associated with the pastoral industry, and with that important High Court case which ruled that native title still existed on pastoral leases in Australia. The Wik are a group of indigenous Australians who live in North Queensland, and who were moved off their land at Arukun to make way for mining development under Joh Bjelke-Petersen's regime. In those days they looked like a bunch of innocents being pushed around by big business. Now things have changed. Their rights to mining royalties may not be as clear-cut as under the Northern Territory Land Rights Act, but the Cape York Land Council and other key negotiating groups have been astutely stitching together some deals which see mining companies now working closely with Aborigines, and governments resisting the pace of negotiation and change.