Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976

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Aboriginal Land Rights Act
Parliament of Australia
Long title:	Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act
Dates
Date signed into law:	16 December 1976
Amendments:	Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment Bill 2006

In Australian history, the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act established the basis upon which Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory could claim rights to land based on traditional occupation. The act, the first of the Aboriginal Land Rights Acts, was signed by the Governor-General of Australia 16 December 1976. It was the first Australian law which allowed a claim of title if claimants could provide evidence of their traditional association with land.

There are four land councils established under the Act:

Central Land Council is in the southern half of the Northern Territory
Northern Land Council covering the Top End
Tiwi Land Council covering Bathurst and Melville Islands north of Darwin
Anindilyakawa Land Council covering Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

In August 2006, the Federal Government amended the Act. The "Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment Bill 2006" added several clauses which intend to promote economic development in remote townships. Amongst these, low interest loans were subsidised to promote private home ownership. The Amendment does away with communal ownership of certain parcels of lands previously vested as parts of inalienable Aboriginal Land Trusts.

The Amendment also prescribed for the 'fast-tracking' of mining negotiations between corporations and Indigenous communities, minimising the role of the large land councils on behalf of land owning groups.