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COMMITTEE'S REPORT 

The committee tabled it's report on 29 October 2012.

View:  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Holding Bill 2012

View:  Government response

ABOUT The Bill 

The Bill amends the Land Act 1994  and repeals the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (Land Holding) Act 1985. It also includes provisions to align the new Act with related pieces of legislation including the Aboriginal Land Act 1991  and the Torres Strait Islander Land Act 1991.

According to the Explanatory Notes, the purpose of the Bill is to provide the legislative changes necessary to:

• resolve leasing issues arising from the implementation and operation of the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (Land Holding) Act 1985;
• ensure Indigenous local governments have continued statutory access to those improvements from which they provide municipal services once the land is transferred, under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991 and the Torres Strait Islander Land Act 1991; and
• Provide a statutory framework for Indigenous land access on State rural leasehold land leased for agriculture or grazing by setting out in the Land Act 1994 requirements for Indigenous Access and Use Agreements (IAUA) and Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs).

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines has provided a number of documents with information on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Holding Bill 2012:

• a plain-English guide to the bill;
• Introduction of the Bill;
• Overview of the Bill and
• Frequently Asked Questions about the bill.

They have also provided a Summary of granted leases, lease entitlements and invalid applications made under the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (Land Holding) Act 1985.

View: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Holding Bill 2012
View: Explanatory Notes to the Bill

SUBMISSIONS

Submissions were called and closed on 10 October 2012. 

TimeLINE

Private Briefing - 23 August 2012 - Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) on the Bill.

Public Hearings - 

Cairns - 18 September 2012 - Proof Transcript
Thursday Island - 19 September 2012 - Proof Transcript
Brisbane - 18 October 2012.  Briefings by DMNR/ roundtable discussions with interested parties on the Bill. More information in the Hearing Program - Proof Transcript

Documents tabled at hearings, are available from the 'Related Publications' tab.        

Media Releases

The following media releases were available in relation to this bill:

• 14 September - North Queensland public meetings 18-19 September
• 28 September - Letter to Torres Strait residents and Brisbane public meetings 18 October