New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council
For more information about Aboriginal land rights and native title, go to the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council.
Aboriginal land rights
Aboriginal land rights refer to the system of legal rights created by the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983. The act creates a system of legal rights to compensate Aboriginal communities for the dispossession of their land by allowing for the return of some Crown land to Aboriginal land councils. Aboriginal land councils can receive ownership of Crown land by lodging an Aboriginal land claim or negotiating an Aboriginal Land Agreement with the NSW Government.
Aboriginal land councils can lodge claims for the return of Crown land under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983.
Crown Lands within the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, assesses land claims and facilitates the return of eligible land to Aboriginal Land Councils as freehold for successful claims.
Aboriginal Land Agreements are negotiated arrangements between the NSW Government and Aboriginal communities that provide a structured, voluntary pathway for resolving land claims and returning land to Aboriginal ownership.
Native title
Native title is the recognition under Australian law of the rights and interests Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hold in land and waters in accordance with their traditional laws and customs. The Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993 sets out how native title rights are to be recognised and protected. Traditional owner groups can bring a native title claim in court to have their rights and interests recognised.
Native title refers to the traditional ownership of land and waters by Aboriginal people, as recognised by Australian law.
Explore recent native title determinations recognising Aboriginal rights to Crown land across NSW.
An Indigenous Land Use Agreement is a voluntary agreement between native title parties and other people or organisations about how land and waters will be used and managed after native title has been determined to exist.