29 October, 2015
By Sol Bellear, NSW Aboriginal Land Council
When Land Rights was first won for our mob, it was about asserting our rights and tradition.
Today it’s about continuing that legacy and ensuring our children and future generations can benefit from the land.
In our fight for Land Rights, we dodged bullets, we got beat up and locked up.
But we kept turning up and we won the day – Land Rights legislation was enacted and we had the power to make our own decisions and elect our own representatives to make these decisions on our behalf.
This Saturday, 31 October, I’m asking you to continue this fight by turning up to your nearest polling booth to vote in the NSW Aboriginal Land Council Election.
Today we are in control of our destiny, but we can’t take it for granted. Your vote will make a difference.
Not so long ago, Government managed our lives and told us what to do. Land Rights gave us the power to make decisions for ourselves and our land. We don’t want to go back to a time when the Government made decisions for us.
Over the past 32 years, our mob has worked hard to build the best Land Rights system in Australia.
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved but there’s much more work to be done.
By voting on Saturday, you will have a say in how decisions affecting you are made.
These are important decisions about land, culture, jobs and economic development.
The future of the Land Rights network is in our hands.
Only a big turnout on Saturday, 31 October will ensure Land Rights stays strong in New South Wales.
Stand for Land Rights and vote on Saturday.