Selena Uibo
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
Media Release
Public feedback sought on economic development and land use opportunities in Community and Town Living Areas
6 December 2022
The Territory Labor Government is seeking public feedback on the Discussion Paper ‘Facilitating Investment and Development in Community and Town Living Areas’.
The Discussion Paper seeks views on whether changes to land use planning, land tenure and ownership arrangements for Community Living Areas (CLAs) and Town Living Areas (TLAs) would help facilitate investment and community development.
Currently there are 106 CLAs, for example Minyerri, Alpurrurulam and Jilkminggan, and 45 TLAs, commonly referred to as Town Camps, in the NT.
The Territory Labor Government will be engaging directly with the CLA and TLA land owners, and key Aboriginal organisations seeking their input.
The Discussion Paper is part of the Territory Labor Government’s response to the Commonwealth Stronger Futures Act finishing up.
The Stronger Futures Act gave the Commonwealth powers to amend NT legislation applying to CLAs and TLAs (the Land Reform Measures). These measures were able to be continued with the enacting of the Associations and Liquor Amendment Act 2022 (NT) which:
enabled CLA land owners to grant leases and licences for a broader range of purposes in addition to leases for the provision of health, education or housing servicesenabled the responsible Minister to consent to leases for any purpose allowed under the NT Planning Schemeincreased the threshold requirement for Ministerial consent for the grant of a lease of CLA land from 12 months to 10 years.
While the Stronger Futures Act modifications have been adopted, there are other land tenure, land ownership and town planning initiatives that may also better support land owners and underpin investment and economic development on CLAs and TLAs.
The Discussion Paper can be found online at the ‘Have your Say’ website . It will be available for a three-month public consultation period.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Selena Uibo:
“The Territory Labor Government is committed to maximising economic opportunities with Aboriginal Territorians – where this is the desire of the local community.
“This Discussion Paper is a chance to provide feedback about how land use planning, land tenure and ownership arrangements could be changed to facilitate investment and community development on Community Living Areas and Town Living Areas.”
