Arabic version: شيوخ أراضي APY يطالبون بإصلاح الحوكمة

According to ABC News, elders on South Australia’s Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands are seeking a major change to the region’s governance system, arguing the current executive-board model does not deliver genuine self-determination for Aṉangu people.

Donald Fraser, an elder from Pukatja and chairperson of the Tjilpipampa Advisory Group, described the existing arrangement as “tokenistic, disempowering” and said it did not reflect the authority of elders, families, communities and homelands. The group includes elders from every APY community and is registered as Warraritja Aboriginal Corporation, which was established to provide aged-care services.

Mr Fraser’s proposal would repeal the APY Land Rights Act and transfer governing authority from the 14-member executive board to an overseeing Aboriginal corporation. Community councils in each township would become the primary decision-makers on local matters, while service providers would report to the advisory group and the councils. Elders Robert Stevens and Murray George also supported ending the executive model, pointing to the former Pitjantjatjara Council as a more suitable approach.

The APY board rejected the proposal. Chairperson Bernard Singer said Warraritja Aboriginal Corporation was a separate legal entity for aged-care services and did not have authority to govern the APY Lands. He defended the Land Rights Act, saying it enshrined land rights and self-determination, while a state government spokeswoman said there were no plans to repeal it. The debate follows leadership instability after general manager Trent Wilkinson was purportedly sacked in May, a move he has disputed.