The Central
Land Council is a council of Aboriginal people representing
our own communities. It is a statutory representative
body representing Aboriginal people in the Central Australian
region - an area of 780,000 square kilometers.
The roots of the Central Land Council lie in the history
of the Aboriginal struggle for justice in Central Australia
- events like the famous strike and walk off by the
Gurindji people at Wave Hill cattle station in 1966.
In response to Aboriginal demands, in February 1973
the Commonwealth Government set up a Royal Commission
under Mr. Justice Woodward to inquire into how land
rights might be achieved in the Northern Territory.
The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory)
Act 1976 was assented to on 16 December 1976 and
came into operation on 26 January 1977. It gave Aborigines
title to most of the Aboriginal reserve lands in the
Northern Territory and the opportunity to claim other
land not already owned, leased or being used by someone
else.
Address 63 Paterson
PO Box 879
Tennant Creek, NT 0861
Australia
The Central Land Council is a statutory authority.
This means the land council has a number of statutory
responsibilities under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern
Territory) Act 1976.
Some of the main responsibilities in Section 23 of
the Act are:
To protect the interests
of traditional Aboriginal land owners.
To assist Aboriginal people
to protect sacred sites in the central area.
To consult to traditional
landowners about proposals relating to the use of
their land.
To negotiate on behalf of
traditional landowners.
To help traditional landowners
with land claims, including arranging and providing
legal assistance.
Before entering Aboriginal land, make sure to contact
the Central Land Council
