Land rights law helps drive economic development
08 September 2009NSW Parliament today passed amendments to the State's land rights legislation, paving the way for land councils to drive economic development and generate jobs.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Paul Lynch said the amendments to the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 provided clearer and more certain processes for Aboriginal land councils to use when they deal with, dispose of or develop land.
"The legislation passed today is a passport to social and economic development, allowing Aboriginal people to make their own decisions about their land and their future," Mr Lynch said.
He said the amendments would also deliver more confidence to the property industry when they engage in land dealings with Aboriginal land councils.
The amendments will align all dealings with land - other than acquisition - with community and business plans.
As well, the amendments will require local Aboriginal land councils to pay a Community Development Levy on certain land dealings.
This levy will be paid into a new Community Development Fund that will be used to acquire further land and to distribute loans and grants to local Aboriginal land councils.
The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC), as the peak body for land councils, will pay matching amounts to the Community Development Fund.
He said the proposed amendments would also regulate processes, providing certainty for third parties to enter into consultancy or partnership agreements with land councils.
Mr Lynch said the Act attempted to overcome the historical fact of dispossession.
"This legislation reflects the coming together of both the rights agenda and the economic development agenda," he said.
"It allows Aboriginal people, through democratically-elected structures, to pursue in ways they choose, appropriate economic development," Mr Lynch said.
"Land assets are critical for Aboriginal communities - not just for the social and cultural benefits they bring - but for the economic benefits they deliver," he said.
Mr Lynch thanked the Parliament for supporting the amendments.
As a result of the Act, New South Wales is the only State in Australia with a democratically-elected structure to represent the interests of its land councils.
The NSW Government and the NSWALC are working together to deliver a $200 million investment to upgrade water and sewerage infrastructure in more than 60 communities over the next 25 years.
The NSWALC has also established a $30m NSWALC Education Endowment Fund for scholarships and educational assistance at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
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