By PETER ROWE

Bardi and Jawi people on the Kimberley’s Dampier Peninsula have been waiting months for approvals from both State and Federal governments to finalise plans to return land to traditional owners – with the process beginning to frustrate local communities.

After four attempts in two years, Gareth Ogilvie, the executive officer of the Bardi Jawi Niimidiman Aboriginal Corporation, is driving an application for a $5m grant to cover the costs of returning 20,000 hectares back under their control.

Why the cost? “Lawyers, policy makers, government red tape, you wouldn’t believe how much it costs to get our land back,” Mr Ogilvie told ibnews.com.au

The land, north of Broome in the north-west of WA, has been held in trust by the WA State government since the early 1970s and the communities who live there are unable to unlock the potential to become self-sustaining.

“It’s not only just giving back our land, it’s giving back the opportunity for traditional owners to develop businesses, to be involved in tourism, to work with the oil and gas industry – things they are currently unable to do.” Mr Ogilvie said.

“I understand government moves slowly, but it feels like we keep hitting a brick wall.

“People here are stuck, they can’t build or do anything.”

Mr Ogilvie has been the main driver in the process – a bureaucratic one that requires Federal government support to get the State government to hand the land over.

The WA State government announced it would do so some time ago, but it has been a frustratingly slow process.

“We sought assistance from the private sector to help with the application,” Mr Ogilvie said.

“But to make this happen, and to cover all the costs, requires, we have been told by the State government, a Federal grant.

“We have had a number of meetings and they have all been helpful, but in reality, to date, they haven’t given us a teabag or a slice of cake.

“We submitted the application five month ago, we have an MOU (memorandum of understanding) from the community we represent, but still nothing.”

A perceived lack of action “to keep things moving along” has frustrated many in the community.

Local businesses are at a standstill, unable to develop or grow. The inability to at last negotiate business contracts that will help not just commercial interests, but local welfare and well being, has seen many asking: “why the delay?”

“We’ve done all the spadework, all the hard yards have been ticked off,” Mr Ogilvie told ibnews.com.au

“The Shire of Broome has given us a written commitment of support. We want to determine our own destiny.

“Why five months? And then we have State and Federal elections coming up, so possibly more delays.”

The funding of course is only the first step. Once approved that will allow the legal process of handing back the land to traditional owners to begin.

Once that has happened the Bardi Jawi Niimidiman Aboriginal Corporation will be able to have management control of the land for both social and economic development.

“We have identified several Closing the Gap targets this action meets,” Mr Ogilvie said.

“The whole region has great potential, whereas before it has had hardly any.

“It’s time to get serious and make this happen.”

* WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Butti’s office was contacted for comment.