Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

It is my pleasure to introduce the bill to this chamber. The bill reflects this government's ongoing commitment to empowering Indigenous landowners and community members with localised decision making, particularly about the use of their land. It enables Indigenous landowners and community members to play an integral role in fostering economic development in their communities, and move them closer towards owning their own homes.

The bill also demonstrates the government's commitment to recognise the ownership of land in the Northern Territory by its traditional owners. To that end, it schedules two parcels of land which will enable that land to be granted as Aboriginal land.

The community of Mutitjulu is located on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory and in 1985 was leased by the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Land Trust to the Director of National Parks for 99 years. Because of the nature of the lease to the Director of National Parks, tenure arrangements in Mutitjulu are irregular, uncertain, and inconsistent with other communities on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory.

In order to resolve this issue, this government, through the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator the Hon. Nigel Scullion, has been working in close cooperation with the Mutitjulu community, traditional owners and the Central Land Council to negotiate a sublease which will provide certainty of tenure in Mutitjulu.

The bill amends the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976to allow the Executive Director of Township Leasing, on behalf of the Commonwealth, to hold a sublease of Aboriginal land.

The bill also makes provision for the executive director to transfer this sublease of Aboriginal land to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation, and for that corporation to transfer that sublease back to the executive director. Any such transfers will need to be in accordance with the terms of the relevant sublease.

The bill allows for the Minister for Indigenous Affairs to direct that funds from the Aboriginals Benefit Account be paid to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation for the purpose of acquiring and administering that sublease. The minister may also direct that such funds be paid to the Executive Director of Township Leasing if it holds a sublease of Aboriginal land.

Accordingly, the amendments contained in the bill will allow for the subleasing of the community of Mutitjulu to the Executive Director of Township Leasing. The bill will also facilitate a robust Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation, comprised of community members and traditional owners, holding that sublease in the future.

Certainty of tenure in Mutitjulu will allow the Mutitjulu community to take advantage of the unique economic development opportunities offered by its location in close proximity to two of Australia's most visited World Heritage sites, Uluru and Kata Tjuta. These negotiations signal the strong interest of this government, the Mutitjulu community and traditional owners in their community's economic future.

The Mutitjulu arrangements, which contemplate transferring responsibility for holding the sublease to a community corporation in the future, are also reflective of the government's direction in township leasing.

Similar negotiations in the Northern Territory are being undertaken between traditional owners, land councils and the government to give communities with economic vision a new way forward for making land decisions. Instead of leasing their community to the Executive Director of Township Leasing, a strong community entity may instead take control of the township lease and have direct responsibility for decisions about land use in their communities. Some communities may wish to lease to the executive director with provision for a transfer to a community entity in the future.

Finally, the bill will add parcels of land in the Wickham River area and in the Simpson Desert to Schedule 1 to the Land Rights Act. These amendments will enable the parcels of land to be granted to the relevant Aboriginal land trusts.

I commend the bill to the chamber.

Debate adjourned.