ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS ACT 1983 (NSW)
2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of the
New South Wales
Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 ('the
Act'), recently celebrated as part of NAIDOC week.
The 1983 Act, passed by the Wran Labor Government, was New South
Wales' first piece of land rights legislation. The Act followed
a two year consultation period, facilitated by a Legislative
Assembly Select Committee chaired by Maurice Keane, which involved
4,000 individuals across the State and received 262
submissions.
The Act significantly acknowledged prior ownership and
occupancy, made unused Crown Land available to claim and
established mechanisms to facilitate Aboriginal self-determination.
While some Aboriginal activists at the time felt that the Act did
not go far enough, the High Court's previous Justice Kirby once
characterised the Act as "little short of revolutionary",
considering its pre-Mabo context.
