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September 5, 2001 Media Release

NSWALC WELCOMES AMENDMENTS TO LAND RIGHTS ACT

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council today welcomed moves to make the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 more workable.

"These amendments are long overdue," NSWALC Secretary and Councillor for the Sydney/Newcastle Region, Veronica Graf said today. "We've been pushing for change to the Land Rights Act for many years. It's a flawed piece of legislation which has on occasion proved more of a hindrance than a help to those of us working to support and represent the interests of Aboriginal people in New South Wales.

For the past 3 years, Ms Graf and her colleagues on the NSW Aboriginal Land Council have been working in close consultation with the Minister and the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs to find solutions to many of the problems posed by the Act.

"We feel these amendments, many of which were put forward by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council itself, will go some way towards rectifying the problems we face. However, we don't feel they go far enough," she said.

"We'd like to see the Registrar of the Act given greater powers and be given free reign to exercise them. That position must be able to compel Land Councils to abide by the Act's provisions. The Registrar also needs more power to resolve disputes.

"Since 1998 the Land Council has been operating as a self-sufficient statutory authority, and no longer receives financial compensation from the State Government. We need amendments to the Act in order to operate effectively.

"We welcome the opportunity to continue working with the Minister and his Department to improve the plight of Aboriginal communities in this State," Ms Graf said.

"Indeed, we have a meeting in the morning with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, to further discuss deficiencies in the Land Rights Act, identified by the Independent Commission Against Corruption," Ms Graf concluded.