What Do We Want? A Political History of Aboriginal Land Rights in New South Wales

What Do We Want? A Political History of Aboriginal Land Rights in New South Wales is a wonderfully insightful historical account of the NSW Aboriginal Lands Rights movement. It is an interdisciplinary study of a subject matter that is, as the author, Heidi Norman, explains from the outset, ‘personal, political and intellectual’ (xiii). Many Aboriginal people like myself, who grew up with Aboriginal Land Rights and the Land Council structure, feel the same. As children we witnessed some of the initial changes within our own communities. We heard the optimism of our parents and grandparents, as they became members of Aboriginal Lands Councils at the local, regional and state levels. We reaped some of the benefits of employment, housing and infrastructure and, with it, the promise of a brighter future. And we also experienced the tumultuous years of fiery discussion and arguments as our community leaders and family members sorted out ‘grassroots’ business while trying to decipher the new governance model. This conflict is something that Norman doesn’t shy away from but tackles head-on, providing an honest insider perspective, first laying bare the ‘truth’ about the struggles with a bureaucratic system of governance and the internal turmoils of the management of the Aboriginal Land Councils.