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A north Queensland senator is calling on the federal government to pay less attention to its carbon pollution reduction legislation, and instead start debate on laws that could affect the livelihoods of indigenous Australians.
Federal parliament resumes on Tuesday, with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott planning to introduce legislation that overturns the Queensland government's Wild Rivers Act.
The 2005 act restricts development along nine protected rivers throughout Queensland, with some critics saying it denies Aboriginal people economic opportunities.
Mr Abbott's bill will be competing with the twice-rejected Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme for floor space during debate in parliament this week.
Federal opposition spokesman for northern and remote Australia Senator Ian Macdonald said although the climate scheme deserves exposure, there are issues affecting northern and remote Australians that must come first.
'I am urging (Prime Minister Kevin Rudd) to take ownership of the issues he would rather ignore and do what is best for the people of northern and remote Australia,' Senator Macdonald said in a statement.
'The Wild Rivers declarations on the Cape York Peninsula have been the source of much anxiety amongst traditional owners on the Cape.
'This heavy-handed and ill-conceived proposal, arising from a grubby preference deal between Labor and the Greens, has the potential to deny Aboriginal people on the Cape the ability to make a living from sustainable businesses on their lands.'
