FED:Wild rivers inquiries exhausting: council

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2011
FED:Wild rivers inquiries exhausting: council

The Cape York Land Council has suggested the federal parliament is trying to exhaust
indigenous people opposed to Queensland's wild rivers legislation.

The council says an opposition move to water down the state laws .. which aim to protect
pristine river systems by limiting development .. is the most scrutinised bill in parliamentary
history.

There are two ongoing inquiries into the federal coalition's draft laws .. while another
inquiry has already reported back to parliament.

Land council chairperson RICHIE AH MAT has told a Senate hearing the obvious conclusion
is that the inquiries were cynically established to stymie their campaign .. and to bleed
them dry financially.

The land council argues Queensland's wild rivers laws restricts land use and development
without compensation.

AAP RTV ms/jcd/sb/af

KEYWORD: RIVERS (CANBERRA)

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