Senator WOODLEY —I give notice that, on the next day of sitting, I shall move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that should the Native Title Amendment Bill 1997, the Wik 10-point plan, be passed into law, it will grant significant powers on the State Governments to:

(a) upgrade pastoral leases to permit diversification to the full range of activities defined as primary production,

(b) substitute the right to negotiate on leased or reserved land with alternative procedures,

(c) validate grants made after the Native Title Act came into effect and before the Wik decision, and

(d) potentially extinguish or impair native title by activating the previous exclusive possession act provisions,

(ii) the failure of the Leader of the Opposition in Queensland (Mr Beattie) to rule out the legislative extinguishment of native title if the 10-point plan becomes law,

(iii) that Mr Beattie is reported as saying, on page 1 of the Courier Mail of 22 December 1997, `I'll give you a clear answer. I support what came out of the Senate because that is what the Australian people have said through their representatives', and

(iv) the absence of any statement from Mr Beattie that he will not support the validation of pastoral leases in the State of Queensland that were arguably unlawfully issued by the former Goss Government; and

(b) calls on the Australian Labor Party in Queensland and in other States and Territories to immediately rule out using powers they may receive, if elected, from the enactment of the bill to extinguish or impair native title rights through state legislation.