Submission: Review of Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983

Proposed changes to the legislation are aimed at reducing bureaucratic burdens on Local Aboriginal Land Council’s (LALC) and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC). The Tenants' Union is apprehensive about changes that would reduce LALC accountability to members. The Tenants' Union believes that LALC boards should be accountable to their members and that enforcing such accountability should be a just, quick and accessible process. 

There are a number of issues that we believe should be addressed during this review, including termination of tenancies without grounds and alternative dispute resolution. 

The Tenants' Union welcomes Working Group Recommendation 40 around housing, but opposes proposal 3 which amends s.248 of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act so that LALCs are not subject to the requirements of the Government Information Public Access Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA).