Crown land reforms pass NSW Parliament

The Minns Labor Government has today passed legislation to modernise the management of Crown land across NSW, provide greater certainty for community organisations and establish a clearer path forward for Aboriginal land claims.

The reforms will make it easier to manage Crown land, cut unnecessary red tape, and help ensure these important community assets continue delivering social, environmental, cultural and economic benefits for communities across the State.

The Crown Land Management Amendment (Statutory Review) Bill 2026 reforms the Crown Land Management Act 2016 following an extensive review of the legislation and consultation with stakeholders across the State.

The reforms will modernise and streamline the use and management of Crown land and provide stronger support and oversight certainty for land managers and tenure holders. 

The reforms will:

• establish clearer goals for the use and management of Crown land
• provide greater support and certainty for Crown land managers
• strengthen recognition of native title rights and interests
• support appropriate economic investment in Crown land
• provide greater certainty for community organisations using and investing in Crown land
• provide a clearer path forward for addressing Aboriginal land claims where Crown land is being actively used by the community.

Following concerns raised by NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils on aspects of these laws allowing for the variation and validation of tenures to retain well-used community assets on crown land in public hands, the NSW Government undertook extensive consultation, including directly seeking feedback from every NSW Local Aboriginal Land Council.

The Government subsequently made amendments to the Bill to ensure Aboriginal land rights and interests continue to be supported while also protecting vital community assets, with new mechanisms to deal with historical errors or issues identified in documentation, particularly for sites delivering community benefit.

The amendments include:

• removing the provision that a lease is considered a lawful use
• greater transparency around proposed decisions
• legislating a minimum 28-day consultation period with land councils, stakeholders and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs when an undetermined Aboriginal land claim may be affected by a tenure validation or variation; and providing tighter limits on what type of errors can be retrospectively validated.

These changes demonstrate the Government's commitment to addressing concerns raised during the consultation process and strengthening the safeguards in the Bill, while retaining the ability to manage administrative errors and provide certainty for legitimate Crown land tenures. 

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said

“Crown land is where communities come together. It’s parks, showgrounds, sporting facilities, community halls, and nature reserves that people use and value every day.

“Those who manage Crown land, from small volunteer boards and community groups to councils and larger statutory entities, do an incredible job supporting these important public assets. But the system hadn’t always kept pace with their needs.

“These reforms will modernise and provide more clarity and flexibility around how Crown land is managed and reduce unnecessary red tape.

“We have listened to Aboriginal stakeholders and strengthened the legislation to help strike the right balance between protecting our vital community assets, while ensuring Aboriginal land rights are appropriately considered.

“The proposed changes aim to address cases of technical non-compliance, such as an invalid sublease, on Crown land sites that are well utilised by the local community.

“Importantly, these reforms will also help ensure Crown continues to deliver public benefit for generations to come.”