Aboriginal land claim rocks one of Australia's wealthiest suburbs as Indigenous group lobbies for a massive chunk of prime parkland
Land council claims prime Sydney parkland Lower north shore council expresses concern READ MORE: Stunning map shows extent of Native Title
An Aboriginal land council has launched a bid for a massive chunk of prime parkland in one of Australia’s most wealthy suburbs.
The Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council has made the claim on 150,000 sqm of Boronia Park in the exclusive lower north shore Sydney suburb Hunters Hill.
The area is among the ritziest regions in the country with median house prices at almost $4million with units only just shy of $1million.
Hunters Hill mayor Zac Miles said the claim had the potential to see the green space, classified as bush care management zone, turned into freehold title that left it open for development.
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Nathan Moran dismissed such concerns as ‘fear-mongering’ despite indicating the land could be used for cultural and economic development of Indigenous people.
The NSW Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council has made the claim on 150,00 sqm of Boronia Park in the exclusive lower north shore Sydney suburb Hunters Hill
‘Making claims for Crown Land (is) to give us something back for all the other land we’ve lost in the state of NSW since colonisation,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.
‘When you look at the trillions of dollars in wealth that has been taken from us I find it disgusting that councils engage in fear mongering.
‘We have to fight tooth and nail for every claim we lodge but unfortunately it’s not unusual for claims to take more than a decade to assess.
‘All we want is for the assessment to be completed so we can have certainty.
The claim was lodged in 2009 but only made public with the Department of Crown Lands informing Hunters Hill Council it was set to assessed by the end of 2024.
In September it was revealed the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council had made a claim on the Lawry Plunkett Reserve parkland next to Balmoral Beach on Sydney’s north shore, with the prime spot valued at $100million.
The claim was just one of 3,000 in made in Sydney with 40,000 having been lodged across the state.
Last year saw 545 of those claims granted, the highest number in a single year.
A NSW Government source at the time warned the legal fees and court costs involved in Crown Land clearing the backlog could be ‘billions’.
Mr Moran said at the time this could be largely avoided if the state government did chose to grant a claim ‘when it should’.
Hunters Hill Council mayor has expressed concerns the green space could be opened to development
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Nathan Moran has dismissed concerns of the Hunters Hill land claim
Under the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1983, Native Title can be claimed on any Crown land that is either not being used, or is being used for purposes other than what it was gazetted for by NSW parliament.
About two-thirds of claims made by the land council have been rejected, Mr Moran said but when claims are granted it means ‘a range of opportunities comes up’.
‘We always look through the eyes of it is cultural, it is social, it is environmental is it recreational, or is commercial/residential,’ he said,
‘That’s the prisms we understand all land for is generally. We approach it by case-by-basis.’
He sent the Metropolitian Council worked with local bodies who had been using the land.
‘We don’t kick anyone off,’ Mr Moran said.
‘We work with them and offer licences to continue that relationships.’
Only NSW and the Northern Territory have land rights claims with the rest of Australia subject to Native Title claims, which do not confer freehold ownership.
Native Title can only be claimed for Crown land and is not applicable to privately held properties.
The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council has been contacted for comment.
Hunters Hill Mayor Zac Miles said the land claim had the potential to see the green space opened for development