You will own nothing and you’ll be happy!

Josephine Cashman: What do you like about Wilcannia Micheal?

 Michael Kennedy: It is where all my people are from we are the Barkandji people. The one thing we love most here is the river. It is full at the moment, isn't it? Yeah, it is good, real good.

Josephine Cashman: How many children do you have?

Michael Kennedy: Four. 

Josephine Cashman:What are their ages? The oldest ones 18, youngest ones is two.

Josephine Cashman: Have you heard of the Uluru Statement?

Michael Kennedy: Yeah, I have heard of it.

Josephine Cashman: Has anyone asked you what your view on it is? 

Michael Kennedy: Nah. We have had no consultations.

Josephine Cashman: Do you know a person call Noel Pearson? 

Michael Kennedy I've heard of him. 

Josephine Cashman:Marcia Langton? 

Michael Kennedy:Yeah a little bit about her.

Josephine Cashman: Megan Davis? 

Michael Kennedy: Yeah, same.

Josephine Cashman: Mark Leibler?

Michael Kennedy:  Yeah.

Josephine Cashman: Do any of these people speak for you? 

Michael Kennedy:  I would like to think I speak for myself and for my people, where I live here in Wilcannia. They're saying that the majority of aboriginal people want the Uluru Statement. Yeah I don't think that's entirely true. Why can't aboriginal people own their own homes?  Individually yeah not individually.

Josephine Cashman: Do you think that would make a difference to people's lives if they could have their own home? 

Michael Kennedy: Yeah a lot of them it would yeah. 

Josephine Cashman: What do you think needs to happen in aboriginal affairs? 

Michael Kennedy:People that actually make decisions need to come and sit at the table with us.  And heard straight from us as on the ground people that live here. You know people outside and probably never been here making decisions on a lot of the stuff in the community.  

Josephine Cashman: A lot of people say well aboriginal people should take responsibility and all this but if you've got no decision making do you think it affects people like psychologically you gotta wait for someone else to repair your home you don't own your home you have someone else comes in and tells you what to do you think that's part of the problem?  

Michael Kennedy: Yeah well you know it takes away that sense of leadership ownership. You know I grew up around a lot of aboriginal politics showing me grandmother and grandfather and my aunties and uncles gone back a few while there was a lot of decisions they made that used to be directly impacted on the community and now a lot of that decision making was it has to go through you know different organisations or different levels of people and before a decision can be handed down to the community. That decision used to be made with underground people.  I used to work on properties for a lot of years like contracting with mustering, and fencing and stuff like that.  

Josephine Cashman: Do you enjoy it? 
Michael Kennedy: I used to love it, yeah and that's why I did it I didn't do it because of the money and that it was just a lot so peaceful at times you know you go to work and it's peaceful at work after work or when you get up early in the mornings it's just so peaceful being out bush on country. 

Michael Kennedy: Since my involvement with the Land Council and you know being the chair role and that it was always my vision to get to that stage where we do have control over our lives basically. You know the decision making what we want to do being told or how to run our own affairs. A lot of the people around here, they went off the land and back into town and that's when a lot of not so much that generation but as generations went on it slowly drifted out of our people that that work mentality and not having a job. You know because station hands was a very very big part of the job industry around him like every family around he was working on the land you know like there's not one family here their grandmother or grandfather didn't work on the land everyone around in this community their family worked out on the land. And that's how I have it instilled in me because, true nan and pop with Ben Terrigar and you know my old great grandfather before that you know they used to work like Uncle Les he was a full-time fencer, wasn't he? And Aunty Glad up there and as time went on and things started changing like they could not afford or did not want to pay them they came back into town. And as generations went on it slowly drifted out of them it impacted us a lot because there was a lot less employment. I know me being a man. I love to provide for my family that's, I've always been I felt I needed to be the one that's you know put the bread on the table and that's just my pride.  You know like I hate it if I can't provide my family with a meal or you know keep the lights on in their house like I feel like that's my responsibility you know, that's my job.

I want aboriginal affairs to know that I don't support 'the Uluru' statement.  I don't support the way they handling our fake aboriginals. I don't support the way they are filling our communities with all these overlapping services.

Turn it around and make it jobs for us don't sit down, the money doesn't get to us. It don't get to us. Millions of dollars from aboriginal affairs where has is it, it all gone. You say you're looking after your people and that there,  why haven't we got a shop here? You go and put seven million dollars into an art gallery!

All we got is alcohol and drugs in our communities!

Don't make decisions for us! Come and sit down with us and listen and talk with us. Don't make decisions for us and say that we agree with you need to come out don't come out, and just be amongst a few people you need to get amongst the community. Don't use me or my family to support something that's going to put us put us in a worser of spot.

It's not about us it's about an agenda that will never ever get us out of the mess that you've got us in now!

Belinda King: Belinda King, I've lived there all my life. I've got six children. i'm also a widow. My partner of 24 years ago died 4 years ago, this year

Josephine Cashman: How many grandchildren? 

Belinda King: I have eight

Josephine Cashman: Eight wow what are their age ranges?

Belinda King: Eight, six, four

three, and two months.

Josephine Cashman: Two months, so what do you like about Willicannia?

Belinda King: I love what he used to use so laid back and this is Barkindji country and from me.

Josephine Cashman: Do you know what the Uluru statement

is?

Belinda King: I've heard about.

Josephine Cashman: has anyone asked you about it?

Belinda King: No.

Josephine Cashman: Has anyone asked you if you want it?

Belinda King:No.

Josephine Cashman: Did anyone consult with you your

family about native title?

Belinda King: No.

Josephine Cashman: Do you know a person called Noel

Pearson?

Belinda King: I've heard of him. 

Josephine Cashman: Do you know anything about him?

Belinda King: Not real not much. I guess just see him on tv. That's it.

Josephine Cashman: What about Marcia Langton?

Belinda King: I've heard about here I've seen her on tv.

Josephine Cashman: Have you spoken to her?

Belinda King:No, i haven't.

Josephine Cashman: Does she speak for you?

Belinda King: No, she don't. 

Josephine Cashman: Does Noel Pearson speak for you?

Belinda King: No, he doesn't.

Josephine Cashman: Do you know a person called Megan

Davis? 

Belinda King: No I've never her of her.

Josephine Cashman: Does Megan Davis speak for you?

Belinda King: No.

Josephine Cashman: Do you know a person called Mark leibler?

Belinda King: I've heard of him but he don't speak for

us.

Josephine Cashman: Do you get a chance to make decisions

about things that affect you?

Belinda King: No, we don't. 

Josephine Cashman: What happens?

We get everybody else and outsiders and make the decisions for us, not us on the ground.

Josephine Cashman: Do you have a problem with what they

call anglo or white Australians?

Belinda King: Not really because well my ancestry is Scottish with my great grandfather.

Josephine Cashman: Yeah do you know how much money gets spent in aboriginal affairs it's double the amount that it's double for aboriginal people and non-aboriginal people do you get lots of money?

Belinda King: No, I don't.

Josephine Cashman: Did you get free stuff?

Belinda King: No, I don't we don't get free stuff.

Josephine Cashman: Because a lot of Australians think that you know

aboriginal people get all this free stuff because there's all this funding.

Belinda King: I still work for the doll and at the end of the day. I don't have much to spend once you're paying your rent and your electricity so we're not  we're ready you know we don't get things given to us, we don't get the money given to us.

Josephine Cashman: How much does food cost here?

Belinda King: It costs an arm and a leg. it's very dear here in Wilcannia.

Josephine Cashman: How much more is it than the Coles in Broken Hill for example?

Belinda King: You could go to Coals maybe spend 100 bucks there and you can come out with you know think just about all the essentials what you want and you go to the shop here it's costing you an 'arm a leg.' Maybe nearly 200 just for a couple of shopping bags.

Josephine Cashman: When you were growing up right I heard

that your mother was a school teacher?

Yes, she was.

Josephine Cashman: And you're very proud of that aren't you

yes very proud of that, aren't you? 

Belinda King: Yep.

Josephine Cashman: And your grandmother and grandfather they were married all your lives and so are your mum and dad and they had lots of jobs didn't they?

Belinda King: Yes, they did they worked were they living theThings they wanted they worked hard for it.

Josephine Cashman: There were 13 hotels here at one time. Do you remember any of that?

Belinda King: Yes, I've heard about it and I've seen some more newspaper things about it yeah.

Josephine Cashman: And which would it be fair to say this town's practically dead?

Belinda King: Yes, it's more or less like a ghost town now. 

Josephine Cashman: Do you know why that's happened?

Belinda King: Oh, we're the forgotten people. We're the ones they forget about. They don't realise we live here in Willicannia. 

Josephine Cashman: So like when you were growing up because you had a wonderful childhood, right?

Belinda King:Yes. No violence no, no violence. All this all the drugs and all the abuse was happening now it

wasn't happening back when we were growing up.

Josephine Cashman: Why do you think it's changed? 

Belinda King: Too much corruption all the fake people, claimers yeah tell me about the fake claimers yeah.

Josephine Cashman: Tell me about what is a fake claimer then, what is a fake claimer then let's start with that?

Belinda King: A fake claimer is Bruce Pascoe. He's not aboriginal he's white as he's from England. 

Josephine Cashman: You've also had fake claimers in your traditional,

traditional native title group correct?

Belinda King: Yes, that's correct.

Josephine Cashman: Why can't you get rid of them? 

Belinda King: I do not know.

Josephine Cashman: Have you tried?  

Belinda King: I think we may be on the ball now trying to get rid of them some of them resigned!

Josephine Cashman: That's good do you think it's a direct result of us?  

Belinda King: Yes, it is. 

Josephine Cashman: Really? 

Belinda King: Yes.

Josephine Cashman: Oh so we actually getting, some wins?

Belinda King: Yes, you are, yeah. 

Josephine Cashman: Really! Oh, that's good news.

Belinda King: Yeah, they are resigning now.

Josephine Cashman: Do you think they're getting starting to get uncomfortable?

Belinda King: Yes.

Josephine Cashman: What should happen to people who've

falsely claimed to be aboriginal and got

money as a result?

Josephine Cashman: Jail that's what they go to jail.

Josephine Cashman: Could I just say are these people the fake claimers do they normally have a lot of power?

Belinda King: Yes they have a lot of power right they think they speak for us but all they're doing is just filling their pockets up and everything.

Josephine Cashman: Do you understand why the media and the

public servants and everybody allows the fake claimers it's just quite bizarre to have these high positions when they're not even aboriginal to make decisions for you?

Belinda King: No that's wrong. No one's got a right to make a decision for us here. It's up to us to make that you know what we want.

Josephine Cashman: The real elders don't have a say is that

correct?

Belinda King: Yes, that's correct?

Josephine Cashman: How does that make you feel?

Belinda King: It makes me angry, very angry because we are getting

nowhere here.

Josephine Cashman: See I was starting to like because when I first came here right auntie Sissy thought it was racism right the reason why you don't have a voice and now we know in a way it's trying to get, set aboriginal people up against Australian people?

Belinda King: Yeah, I've seen it but I've heard about and seen it yeah.

Josephine Cashman: Because when you when you don't know any better

like these people get all to say you're cut out you could actually easily think it's all the Australian people against you. Have you thought felt like that at any time?

Belinda King: Yeah, being in town you didn't feel like that a lot here. You go to 

meetings.

Josephine Cashman: Going to consistent meetings and not being heard?

Belinda King: Um.

Josephine Cashman: You lost your parents house recently because of the shire right? 

Belinda King: Yes

Josephine Cashman: Yes, there's only a little bit of there's in another person's name and you were negotiating with a barrister and a lawyer and they sold it for five thousand dollars?  

Belinda King: Yep, they wouldn't even give us a chance it just made us feel like fools.

Josephine Cashman: Do they punish honest people?

Belinda King: Not here they don't get punished they just keep on doing what they want to do.

Josephine Cashman: And don't listen to you? 

Belinda King: They don't then listen to anybody they just want to do what they want to do.

Josephine Cashman: So growing up you had a strong mother, strong father strong, grandfather, strong grandmother who were very well liked

by everybody in the town had lots of jobs and then the town's slowly being destroyed the native title group you've got set up they've got all these fakes claimers in there and it's getting to the point where you guys don't have to say it all and you're the traditional people's is

that correct?

Belinda King: Yep, that's correct.

Josephine Cashman:  And you know you can't own your own home on the land even though the land council has been given it by the state government is that correct?

Belinda King: Yes. 

Josephine Cashman: And all your repairs and maintenance are done

outside through another body and when last time when they came in you told me you had people who couldn't speak English and they put the electrical points the wrong way?

Belinda King: Yep, you got um to go into the bathroom and the toilet you get the lights which is on the outside and the fan which is connected with one button

so they're not separated so.

Josephine Cashman: So you can't have any you can't do the repairs maintenance yourself?

Belinda King: Yes.

You're not allowed to have control of

your homes and your homes are extremely over for yourself not all your kids live with you but a lot of them you, you're battling to have enough space to live is that correct?

Belinda King: Yes that's correct.

Josephine Cashman: and how does that make you feel?

Belinda King: um this makes me angry because we can't get any more houses built out here we got um a lot of other crowded houses there a lot of families

all you know all sleep in the lounge and that's where I'm sleeping at the moment in the lounge that's my bedroom. 

Josephine Cashman: Because you've given your bedroom to your adult children with their kids is that right?  

Belinda King: Yes

Josephine Cashman: and you're really like you read books you're really smart you'd love to have a great job right?

Belinda King: Yes.

Josephine Cashman: Hard to get a job here right everything's closed down?

Belinda King: Everyone is happy when they got their own home. 

Josephine Cashman: That's the main thing you want, it feels like they're not giving you what you want on purpose.

Belinda King: Yes.

Josephine Cashman: But is there anything else you want to say because it's your chance to have a say? 

Belinda King: Well I don't agree with uh Uluru statement, we don't need anybody to speak for us we speak for ourselves.

Introduction: Hello, I'm Josephine Cashman and unfortunately I'm bringing you some bad news, that we've got a really serious problem in our country. This is not an aboriginal problem this is our problem.
I've spent the last year after they tried to silence me working it out. I've known elders have been voiceless for decades and people who don't have the authority get all the say. Now tonight you're going to hear from a very senior lawman and the man who's lived with him for 30 years as his adopted son an Aussie. And they're going to tell you that the native title system is corrupt, they're being overtaken by fake aboriginals for a totalitarian scheme for Australia thirty, rather eighty to seventy percent of Australian ten years will be under native title the elders have been cut out.  Think about why that's happening they need the "Uluru statement "which is a trojan horse to make that happen. I need you after this to write a letter opposing the "Uluru voice" not even the Uluru elders were consulted about this statement and they don't want the name used.  I'm going to be traveling around Australia to inform you of this. I need your support. I'm not a media celebrity or a sporting star, but I care about Australia, and I need you to please to listen to the information and understand the risks it's not the belt and road initiative its native title think about it 80% of our country with fake aboriginals controlling it.  People who can fake aboriginality can do anything.
The real elders want Australia to come together.  They love Australians they didn't even want this native title act, they weren't consulted.  Please help us to help you. 

Charles Reid: Charles Reid Ninjitsu aboriginal name.

Bob Brown: Bob Brown I've been out here for 30 years with the old fella.

Josephine Cashman: I've been trying to explain this to people right and when you get into the detail. It's so much people can't comprehend how much you guys have been ripped off we're consulted on the native title right and it came in and if you've spent years in court lawyers have got rich. You got nothing and now you're not consulted and they say they're consoled with the elders and they haven't.

Bob Brown: The only thing I can add about the Uluru statement business is at the time they said that they that it was all written up and that they consulted with the old people it was a lie because the old people were all down here.

Josephine Cashman: Oh my goodness.

Bob Brown: Yes it was constructed by whoever constructed it the lawyers divided the people and the people that they've now got controlling Ninjitsu's country well half of them are white people and none of these people understand the law of customs to be able to represent the country.Can i just stop you there so I understand sorry you're saying they're fake aboriginals pretending to be.

Josephine Cashman: Really?

Both agreeing: Yeah, yeah,

Bob Brown: Yeah i'll give you a little story talking on the criminal side of things uh the lawyer that came to introduce a native title to an angel and his people he forged and uttered Ninjitsu's common seal. Ninjitsu has an organisation the Kokatha of the people's community now when ninja wouldn't sign BHP documents because he hadn't read them the lawyer instructed other people around Ninjitsu to instruct the lawyer to make another common seal and the lawyer created that common seal and got those people to sign it and all dealings with bhp since have been fraudulent and we do have the uh evidence to back all that up 100%.

Josephine Cashman: BHP the guy who earns a hundred thousand dollars a week the ceo gave um I think nearly a million dollars for the Uluru statement?Bob Brown: Yeah that'd be right because it's the wrong people creating the Uluru statement it wasn't made by the old people.

Josephine Cashman: Why are they doing it?

Bob Brown:Well it does all gets back to greed and a dollar everybody wanting to possess as much as they can the lawyers of native title drew the boundaries not the traditional old people and yeah they've run with that basically the lawyers of native title are fed the courts bull shit to put it bluntly.

Josephine Cashman: Have you got any legal remedies now you've got to go back into court?

Bob Brown: Oh yeah which could take another 10 years.

Josephine Cashman: Oh what a joke. 

Bob Brown: by then all the old people are dead.

Josephine Cashman: Now they're letting fake it fake in.

Bob Brown: Yeah the lawyers drew the boundaries.

Josephine Cashman: So they were better off without?

Bob Brown: oh totally. They were in what white like before a native title they had their law and custom and country they still do now it's only the native title will not recognise the traditional tribal people.Well this has been going on for more than 30 years.

Bob Brown: That's right since the introduction of native titles. 

Josephine Cashman: And they never consulted with anyone?

Bob Brown: No .

Josephine Cashman: So what do you think going on?

Bob Brown: Oh hey it's just to take over a country for the minerals this country is so mineral rich diamonds gold uranium everything and the government wants control they've taken control. Government and big business oh yes, of course, they're all at parcel hand in hand with each other the back room boys of Canberra have created a lot.

Josephine Cashman: Are you surprised at how complex like this scheme has been?

Bob Brown: No, they've made a complex it isn't complex if you listen to the old people you know it's not complex it's only why it fell away that's making it complex. 

Josephine Cashman: And would you agree that they've made a complex because they've it's a scam?

Bob Brown: They've made a complex to take it from the people, not just aboriginal people but Australian people white people what is their heritage as well.

Josephine Cashman: Can you explain?

Bob Brown: that the old people say everyone is one black and white yes.

Commentary: It appears the government wants to fund services, programs, and public servants to hold meetings to talk about trauma & racism, and not addressing needs, practical solutions and removing barriers that are stopping families from addressing their problems. I helped design a household survey and the ladies of Wilcannia collected the data. It found families want more control, the homes are the biggest issue, they can not own them or manage their own repairs and maintenance, the survey found some have been waiting years for things like hot water and a functioning kitchen sink.

Video: Martin Bella is right the community here are at serious risk of death there's been a survey of 10 per cent of the Willcannia population where we found years of neglect by the government to make sure the money is going to where it is needed. Now there's 25 service providers here and there's about three people locals who get a say on what's actually done.  None of them are prepared the community for what's to come for them, and Ken Wyatt has provided 23 million worth of well-being programs while people him a lot of them we found 16% don't even have a fridge or hot water and the bus structural problems have probably paid off their homes throughout the course of their lives or their parent's lives and it feels as though everything is coming up against some and their blamed somehow for these stupid decisions enough is enough no more passing the buck.