Book review: The Native Title Market

This is a challenging and useful book that should be read by anyone involved in, or
needing to understand, Australia's native title system. In fact, it would also assist people anywhere interested in the interaction between Indigenous people and the extractive industry. The basic thesis is this: Australia's native title system gives Indigenous groups the ability to delay proposed resource development; they can exchange this in return for benefits from the developer, but if they wait too long the ability to delay is lost and a project can proceed with little benefit to the group. It's a sobering view, given the usual presentation of the native title system as reducing Indigenous disadvantage, promoting reconciliation, or assisting community-building. David Ritter explains how these other results gain some assistance from native title, but essentially as by-products of its much less edifying operation and basis. He thoroughly outlines and justifies his arguments in this book.