Published on Friday, 18 November 2022 at 4:02:06 PM
The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) has advised the Shire of Gingin that an additional number of Crown Land parcels within the Shire have been identified for potential transfer to the Noongar Land Estate as part of the South West Native Title Settlement. These land parcels, referred to as Land Lists 904 and 55, are located in Boonanarring, Breton Bay, Cowalla, Cullalla, Lancelin, Ledge Point, Mimegarra, Orange Springs, Wilbinga, and Yeal. Land parcels in Seabird were also recently identified for transfer.
The State Government has committed to allocating 320,000 hectares of Crown land to the Noongar People to create the Noongar Land Estate in accordance with the six registered Indigenous Land Use Agreements for the Settlement. This land is intended for a broad range of Aboriginal heritage, conservation, and cultural activities to be managed by Noongar Regional Corporations, with a portion allocated for development purposes. The DPLH is responsible for undertaking an identification and assessment process for land parcels within the boundaries of the Settlement and this process includes referring land to relevant agencies like the Shire of Gingin for comment.
While the Shire continues to be a strong advocate for the Yued Noongar People within its region, it has concerns with the DPLH process for the creation of the Noongar Land Estate. The Shire does not support the transferral of lots that have been identified owing to the lack of information provided by the DPLH and limited consultation period for affected communities.
“Our main issue with this process is not having any information as to what the land will be used for,” said Shire President Wayne Fewster. “Our communities have a right to know what is intended for this land – particularly if it has been earmarked for development. All our coastal towns have considerable UCL in close proximity and the uncertainty around what it might be used for is of serious concern to them.
“The other issue is the inadequate consultation period DPLH have allocated for this process. Our communities deserve an appropriate amount of time to make submissions – a couple of weeks is not enough. As a result, we have tasked WALGA to lobby the State Government to change the current consultation method provided to local governments for this process.
“We also encourage all members of the Gingin Shire community to consider this matter and make a submission or ask a question directly to the DPLH.”
The land list consultation period for the abovementioned locations closes 12-14 December 2022.
Full details of the proposed land transfer including maps delineating the land parcels, as well as information on how the public can make submissions can be found here.
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For further media details please contact:
Meredith Taylor
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING OFFICER
T: 9575 5150
E: meredith.taylor@gingin.wa.gov.au
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