“Today we handed back 362,000 hectares of land at Cape York Peninsula to its traditional owners,” said the Premier. Source: Queensland Premier, Twitter.
The Queensland government has given back more than 360,000 hectares of land to the traditional owners of the Cape York Peninsula.
Members from the Gudang/Yadhaykenu, Atambaya and Angkamuthi communities were given the land in a special ceremony that was in attendance by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“Our Path to Treaty is about finding a place where we can face up to our shared history and be truthful about all of it – good and bad – and build a future together where we value, trust, and respect each other,” the Premier said.
“Today marks another important step on that journey.”
319,300 hectares of national park plus 42,799 hectares of Aboriginal freehold land were given back to the communities that also included land known as Jardine River National Park, Denham Group National Park, two offshore islands as well as parts of the Heathlands and Jardine River Reserves.
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said it was a momentous occasion.
“This is about land justice. It marks the government returning more than 4.3 million hectares to Traditional Owners on Cape York – equivalent to size of the country of Switzerland.”
All land transfer will be granted to the Ipima Ikaya Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC and the Atambaya Aboriginal Corporation on behalf of the traditional owners says the Queensland government.
It was also mentioned that there will be a mutual partnership when it comes to managing the two national parks.
“The history of First Nations communities is one that’s rich and diverse, and intrinsically linked to the land,” said Member for Cook Cynthia Lui.
“Today’s ceremony leads the way for our communities to seize new opportunities and make sure their history that has been passed down for generations continues into the future.”
Ms Liu also said that the Queensland government has entered into an Indigenous Land Use Agreement for the grant of Aboriginal lands, islands, and national parks.
