Australia unease at Perth ruling

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An Australian court ruling that granted Aborigines the native title of Perth is of "considerable concern", Prime Minister John Howard has said.

The federal court judgement is the first time a metropolitan area has been ruled to belong to indigenous people.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock warned that the ruling could have "significant implications" for Perth's citizens.

But indigenous leaders dismissed any suggestions they could take over people's homes.

In Tuesday's court ruling, the judge found that the Noongar people had proved their claim to more than 6,000 sq km (2,300 miles) of land in Western Australia, which includes the state capital, Perth.

Judge Murray Wilcox said his decision was "neither the pot of gold for the indigenous claimants nor the disaster for the remainder of the community that is sometimes painted".

Call for calm

But the Western Australian government has been encouraged by both Prime Minister Howard and the leader of the opposition to appeal the decision, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"Many people will regard it as somewhat incongruous [that] there could still be some residual native title claim in a major settled metropolitan area," Mr Howard said.

Mr Ruddock told national radio that the court decision could mean the public could be excluded from parklands, waterfronts and beaches.

But indigenous leaders appealed for calm and said they were "not after people's backyards or their farms".

"We're after recognition and if we get any type of benefit, it's to run businesses and train our people," Ted Hart, of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, told the Australian newspaper.