Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment Bill 1997
1997
THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS (NORTHERN TERRITORY) AMENDMENT BILL 1997
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
(Circulated by authority of the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs,
Senator the Hon. John Herron)
88754 Cat. No. 96 9144 8 ISBN 0644 50439 0
ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS (NORTHERN TERRITORY) AMENDMENT BILL 1997
OUTLINE
The Bill provides for the disposal of Aboriginal land claims over stock routes and stock reserves.
FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Financial impact of the amendments is expected to be nil.
NOTES ON CLAUSES
Clause 1 - Short title
This clause provides that the Act may be cited as the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment Act 1997.
Clause 2 - Commencement
This Clause provides
* the Act will commence on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent,
* the amendments to section 67A of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 will commence on
(a) the proclamation of the commencement of Schedule 1 or
(b) if Schedule 1 does not commence within 12 months after the Act receives the Royal Assent then the day after the end of that period.
A 12 month period for proclamation has been allowed so that the amendments can commence at the same time as certain amendments to the Aboriginal Living Areas provisions of the Northern Territory Pastoral Land Act which have yet to be enacted.
Clause 3 - Schedule
1. This clause provides that the Act specified in the Schedule to the Act is amended as set out in the Schedule
Schedule 1 AMENDMENTS OF THE
ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS (NORTHERN TERRITORY) ACT 1976
Items 1 and 2 - Amendment of Section 67A
These items amend section 67A by providing that traditional land claims to which subsection 50(2D) applies are taken to have been finally disposed of. Subsection 50(2D) applies to land claims, over stock routes or stock reserves, in relation to which the Aboriginal Land Commissioner had not commenced an inquiry as at 1 March 1990.