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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/19/muckaty-our-case-is-like-mabo-our-land-is-ours-to-protect
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
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| Muckaty: our case is like Mabo, our land is ours to protect | Muckaty: our case is like Mabo, our land is ours to protect |
| (2 months later) | |
| They've finally heard us. Tennant Creek, where my people, the Warlmanpa and Warumungu live, won't become Australia's first waste dump. We've been fighting for eight years to stop the dump, and the government did nothing about it. Finally, we had to take them to court before they understood that we were serious, that we didn't want a waste dump in the Muckaty area. | They've finally heard us. Tennant Creek, where my people, the Warlmanpa and Warumungu live, won't become Australia's first waste dump. We've been fighting for eight years to stop the dump, and the government did nothing about it. Finally, we had to take them to court before they understood that we were serious, that we didn't want a waste dump in the Muckaty area. |
| My whole family and other extended families, the communities around the Tennant Creek region, and other people who are living there have all been supporting us these past few years, as we've been doing our rallies and speaking up. | My whole family and other extended families, the communities around the Tennant Creek region, and other people who are living there have all been supporting us these past few years, as we've been doing our rallies and speaking up. |
| They've come on board and joined us, marched with us in Tennant Creek. This year has been a very good outcome. A lot of people from different Dreamings, different family groups, different clans have come together in our struggle. I believe this is an impressive way to show we stick together, we fight together. | They've come on board and joined us, marched with us in Tennant Creek. This year has been a very good outcome. A lot of people from different Dreamings, different family groups, different clans have come together in our struggle. I believe this is an impressive way to show we stick together, we fight together. |
| I was worried a bit that the case would go the other way. My sister kept saying, "We're going to win this one, we're going to win this one!" My mind was set that the decision was going to be made in March next year. When I got the news, I was shocked that we won. I'll travel back to Tennant Creek and celebrate this weekend. I'll probably celebrate all week. | I was worried a bit that the case would go the other way. My sister kept saying, "We're going to win this one, we're going to win this one!" My mind was set that the decision was going to be made in March next year. When I got the news, I was shocked that we won. I'll travel back to Tennant Creek and celebrate this weekend. I'll probably celebrate all week. |
| I believe that our case is similar to the Mabo case, and the legal struggles other communities have been fighting against the government for years to protect their land. That's what we're doing. | |
| How many times has the government seen people fighting for their country, and yet they keep doing this. They have to understand us: our land means a lot to Aboriginal people because it's ours, because it's ours to protect. | How many times has the government seen people fighting for their country, and yet they keep doing this. They have to understand us: our land means a lot to Aboriginal people because it's ours, because it's ours to protect. |