Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights

On this page:

• Do Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people have land rights?
• Who can I contact about land rights or heritage issues?

Do Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people have land rights?

Aboriginal people in Queensland have the right to claim land under the:

• Queensland Aboriginal Land Act and
• Commonwealth Native Title Act.

Torres Strait Islander people have the right to claim under the Torres Strait Islander Act 1991 (QLD).

The rules are complex and specialist legal advice is needed.

Other state and federal legislation protects aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage including:

• ownership of items used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for traditional purposes (e.g. burial remains) and
• areas of particular interest to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Who can I contact about land rights or heritage issues?

To find out more information about land rights and heritage issues you can contact:

• the National Native Title Tribunal
• The Native Title representative bodies
• The Department of Natural Resources and Water is the Queensland government's department that deals with native title claims.