Brough vs the Yolgnu

Poor Mal Brough. He has run into a problem in Arnhem Land and it seems to be upsetting him.

Brough's survey team were quietly asked to leave Yirrkala last week and didn't get much of a run at Raminginning a day earlier.

Ronnie Baramala, the spokesperson for Rammo, told the survey team that he had no problem with them. They were just public servants doing their job. He told them that they should come back with the two 'troublemakers', Howard and Brough and that they should be prepared to answer questions about the linkages between the takeover of land, removal of the rights of landowners to control access to their freehold land and child sexual abuse.

The survey team then went to Yirrkala where they were told that, if they were unable to answer questions then, they might as well leave. The team was told that they should get Minister Brough to come to the community and answer the questions. Their questions were similar to those of Rammo but they were also worried about the prohibition of kava.

All of this was pretty calmly done. Not too much in the way of histrionics. Everyone was being pretty respectful, although they were clearly not happy.

Then Mal had a good idea. He would talk to Noel Pearson and Galarrwuy Yunupingu. It is not clear what he talked to them about but he did it in NE Arnhem Land on the weekend so there are many who assume that it had something to do with recent events at Rammo and Yirrkala.

The perception is, and was always going to be, that Mal came to talk to Galarrwuy as the bull goose of the Yolgnu. But, while Galarrwuy is a powerful man and has played a significant role, in NE Arnhem Land he is simply one of the senior men of one of the eighteen clans in the general area. He has no right to speak on behalf of others and there have been, at times, deep distrust between his clan and others.

Inevitably, there was criticism of the meeting. Mal responded by saying that the people complaining, and who threw his survey team out, were really just doped up kava drinkers who
were upset about the prohibition on kava couldn't care less about children.

Let the games begin!

Mal sees himself as a pretty tough guy. The Yolgnu clan leaders are not shrinking violets. Djawulpi Marika is the Town Clerk of Yirrkala. He was a CLP candidate at the last Territory election. The Rev Dr Djinyniyi Godarra is ex-Moderator of the Uniting Church in the Territory. He is a leader of one of the more significant clans. Wali Wunungmurra was the Principal of the Yirrkala School. Raymatja Marika is an internationally regarded artist and a woman who serves on a number of authorities. There are many other men and women of real standing and considerable capacity who would have no fear of a public stoush.

These are people who have never 'lost' their lands. Ownership has never passed to anyone else. The Land Rights Act formally recognises their ownership, but the people didn't need the Act to tell them they owned the land. They have known that, except in extreme circumstances (such as the Gove Mine), they are in control - until now.

It is relatively easy to deal successfully with the Yolgnu people. You show respect and an appreciation of their interests and concerns. If you are going to try to divide and conquer then be sure to get it right. Make sure that the group you divide off has some real numbers and will be able to hold sway against opposition. Oh, and be prepared to fail completely with the people you have divided off.

This dispute gives all indications of getting more messy. It probably wont worry Brough too much. He is playing to an audience who believes that something, anything, needs to be done to 'sort out' the Aboriginal affairs mess. He doesn't really need to care what anyone in the NT thinks, let alone five thousand or so Yolgnu.

But these people will not give up easily and they have long, long memories. I wish them well.