Against Native Title is about one group’s lived experience of a divisive
native title claim in the outback town of Ceduna, where the native title
claims process has thoroughly reorganised local Aboriginal identities
over the course of the past decade.
The central character in this story is senior Aboriginal woman Sue
Haseldine, a self-styled charismatic rebel and master storyteller.
Sue’s extended family has experienced native title as an unwelcome
imposition: something that has emanated from the state and out of
which they gained only enemies. They rail against the logic of native
title and oppose the extensive mineral exploration underway in their
country.
But this is not simply a tale of conflict. Threaded throughout is the
story of a twice-yearly event called ‘rockhole recovery’; trips that
involve numerous days of four-wheel drive travel to a series of
permanent water sources and Dreaming sites. Against Native Title captures the energy that fuels this unique, small-scale initiative.
Rockhole recovery expresses the ways in which Sue Haseldine and
her family continue to care for, and maintain connections to, Country — outside of the native title process.
Against Native Title pursues a controversial and much neglected line of enquiry: the native title process is not necessarily a force for
good. This is a vivacious and very human story, which makes a vital
contribution to national debates around issues of Aboriginal futures in
remote and regional areas.
