The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage has reached a landmark agreement with two Indigenous bodies which will remove land tenure barriers in the Bidyadanga remote Aboriginal community.
The Department said the agreement, signed with the Karajarri Traditional Lands Association (KTLA) and Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community La Grange Incorporated (BACLGI), marked the next step in the Bidyadanga Land Activation Project — a place-based pilot that incorporated land tenure reform.
It said the agreement enabled future economic activation, business development and the regulation of services, and allowed for on-country negotiations between the Government, KTLA, BACLGI and community members.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Stephen Dawson said the Project’s progress highlighted the State’s commitment to supporting remote Aboriginal communities.
“Land tenure change is the first step in achieving full economic transformation for remote Aboriginal communities, allowing for additional housing, improved economic development outcomes, community governance and upgrades of essential services,” Mr Dawson said.
“Economic transformation must be built around the Bidyadanga community’s own vision for the future and cannot be realised without local leadership and the active participation of native title holders and community members.”
He said the Project aligned with the Government’s commitments on Closing the Gap, including targets around strong economic participation and development of people and their communities.
Minister for Lands, Tony Buti said land tenure change was the first step in full economic transformation for remote Aboriginal communities.
“Addressing land tenure matters will enable the Bidyadanga community to be investment-ready and provide future home ownership and business development opportunities,” Mr Buti said.
