The great bulk of the amendments made to the Native Title Amendment Bill by the Senate are unacceptable to the Government.
Therefore the Government will vote to reject those amendments when the amended Bill is returned to the House of Representatives. In addition, the Government will ask the House of Representatives to lay the Bill aside.
It would then, of course, be open to the Government to reintroduce the Bill and present it again to the Senate after the lapse of a period of three months. That is our intention.
The Senate's decision is not only obstructive but also represents unconscionable delay to a measure which is important to the national interest.
The indigenous people of Australia, farmers, miners and many others are entitled to greater predictability and certainty.
This issue has now been in the forefront of public debate in Australia for almost 12 months. The Government, having widely consulted interested parties, produced a fair, decent and honourable compromise.
The response of the Senate has been to wreak havoc on that compromise.
5 December 1997