Aboriginal elder plans to open own mining company

An Australian leader yesterday weighed into the debate over the exploitation of the country's lucrative mining deposits in Aboriginal land by unveiling a plan to start his own resources company.

Galarrwuy Yunupingu, former chief of the Northern Land Council and one of the country's most powerful Aboriginal leaders, told a cultural festival in remote northeastern Arnhem Land that he wanted to "cut open the middle man" and open his own mine.

"This is where the Land Rights Act started, but they are still treating me like I'm a piece of shit, you know, and I'm not going to have that," Yunupingu was quoted as saying by the Australian newspaper. "I will make more money by opening up my mining company on my own instead of royalties. Other people running away with our resources is the problem here."

Yunupingu, who is reportedly embroiled in a dispute with family members over the dispersal of mining royalties and grants, gave no details about the mine proposal or how it would be financed.

The sparsely populated Northern Territory, where indigenous people make up 30 percent of the population, holds some of the world's largest mineral deposits.

Uranium, manganese, bauxite, lead, zinc, silver and gold are mined but the territory also holds significant deposits of copper, diamonds, tin and other minerals.

The conservative government of Prime Minister John Howard last week declared the Northern Territory "open for business on uranium mining" after taking control of the future of the region's rich deposits from the territory's Labor government.

The federal government hopes to expand Australian uranium exports to fuel the growing nuclear-power industry around the world, notably China and India.

About companies are currently exploring for uranium in the territory, which is home to some A$12 billion (US$9.2 billion) in known uranium deposits.