Five Years on: Confusion, Illusion and Township Leasing on Aboriginal Land

Abstract:     
In 2006, the Australian Government amended the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) to enable the grant of township leases over Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory. It was a reform which attracted considerable debate. This article collates information about the two existing township leases, and examines this against the stated aims of township leasing. It is argued that a high level of confusion has characterised the implementation of these reforms, and that one of the risks of township leases is that they give the impression of doing more than they actually do. The article concludes by arguing that the Australian Government needs to pay greater attention to clarifying the rationale for its Aboriginal land reform policies.

Keywords: Aboriginal land, land reform, tenure reform

Accepted Paper Series