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ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS (NORTHERN TERRITORY) ACT 1976 - SECT 11 Recommendations for grants of Crown land other than Schedule 1 land and former public roads

ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS (NORTHERN TERRITORY) ACT 1976 - SECT 11

Recommendations for grants of Crown land other than Schedule 1 land and former public roads

  (1)   Where:

  (a)   a Commissioner has, before the commencement of the Aboriginal Land Rights Legislation Amendment Act 1982 , recommended, or, after the commencement of that Act, recommends, to the Minister in a report made to the Minister under paragraph   50(1)(a) that an area of Crown land should be granted to a Land Trust for the benefit of Aboriginals entitled by Aboriginal tradition to the use or occupation of that area of land, whether or not the traditional entitlement is qualified as to place, time, circumstance, purpose or permission; and

  (b)   the Minister is satisfied that the land (the divisible land ), or a part (also the divisible land ) of the land, should be granted to one or more new or existing Land Trusts so that each Land Trust holds the land granted to it for the benefit of Aboriginals who are the relevant Aboriginals in relation to the land granted to it;

the Minister shall:

  (c)   do either or both of the following:

  (i)   establish the one or more Land Trusts under section   4;

  (ii)   make a determination in writing specifying the one or more existing Land Trusts;

    that are to hold the divisible land or parts of the divisible land for the benefit of Aboriginals who are the relevant Aboriginals in relation to the divisible land or the parts of the divisible land; and

  (d)   if the divisible land or a part of the divisible land proposed to be held by a Land Trust referred to in paragraph   (c) is not, and does not include, alienated Crown land--recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in that land or part be made to that Land Trust; and

  (e)   if the divisible land or a part of the divisible land proposed to be held by a Land Trust referred to in paragraph   (c) is, or includes, alienated Crown land:

  (i)   ensure that the estates and interests in that land or part of persons (other than the Crown) are acquired by the Crown by surrender or otherwise; and

  (ii)   after any acquisition referred to in subparagraph   (i) has been effected, recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in that land or part be made to that Land Trust.

  (1AA)   Where the Minister has, before the commencement of this subsection, taken action, or, after that commencement, takes action, in pursuance of subsection   (1) in relation to a part or parts of the area of land to which a recommendation that is contained in a report made to the Minister by a Commissioner under paragraph   50(1)(a) relates, the taking of that action does not preclude the Minister from taking further action in pursuance of subsection   (1) in relation to any other part or parts of the land to which the recommendation relates.

  (1AB)   Where the Minister:

  (a)   after taking action in pursuance of subsection   (1), whether before or after the commencement of this subsection, to establish a Land Trust to hold part only of an area of land to which a recommendation that is contained in a report made by a Commissioner to the Minister under paragraph   50(1)(a) relates; or

  (b)   after taking action in relation to a Land Trust in accordance with paragraph   (c) of this subsection by virtue of a previous application of this subsection;

is satisfied that the Land Trust (in this subsection referred to as the previously established Land Trust ) should hold another part of the area of land to which the recommendation relates for the benefit of Aboriginals who are the relevant Aboriginals in relation to that other part of that area of land, the Minister shall:

  (c)   by notice published in the Gazette , declare that that previously established Land Trust is to be treated, for all purposes of this Act or any other law of the Commonwealth, of a State or of a Territory, as if it had also been established under section   4 to hold title to that other part of the area of land to which the recommendation relates for the benefit of Aboriginals who are relevant Aboriginals in relation to that other part of that area of land;

  (d)   where the land to be held by the previously established Land Trust is, or includes, alienated Crown land, ensure that the estates and interests in that alienated Crown land of persons (other than the Crown) are acquired by the Crown by surrender or otherwise; and

  (e)   after any acquisition referred to in paragraph   (d) has been effected in relation to the land to be held by the previously established Land Trust, recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in that land be made to that previously established Land Trust.

  (1AC)   Upon the publication in the Gazette of a notice under paragraph   (1AB)(c) the declaration contained in that notice has effect according to its tenor.

  (1AD)   Where:

  (a)   a Commissioner has, whether before or after the commencement of this subsection, in a report made to the Minister under paragraph   50(1)(a), made 2 or more recommendations to the Minister that areas of Crown land should be granted to Land Trusts for the benefit of Aboriginals entitled by Aboriginal tradition to the use or occupation of those respective areas of land, whether or not that traditional entitlement is qualified as to place, time, circumstance, purpose or permission;

  (b)   in respect of each of at least 2 of those recommendations the Minister has not taken action under subsection   (1) or (1AB) in respect of the land, or any part of the land, to which the recommendation relates; and

  (c)   the Land Council for the area in which all the land (the recommended land ) to which the recommendations in respect of which the Minister has taken no action relate is situated applies in writing to the Minister for the Minister to take action under this subsection in relation to that land;

the Minister shall, if he or she is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so:

  (d)   do either or both of the following:

  (i)   establish one or more Land Trusts under section   4;

  (ii)   make a determination in writing specifying one or more existing Land Trusts;

    that are to hold the recommended land or a part or parts of the recommended land for the benefit of Aboriginals who are the relevant Aboriginals in relation to the recommended land or the part or parts of the recommended land; and

  (e)   if the recommended land or a part of the recommended land proposed to be held by a Land Trust referred to in paragraph   (d) is not, and does not include, alienated Crown land--recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in that land or part be made to that Land Trust; and

  (f)   if the recommended land or a part of the recommended land proposed to be held by a Land Trust referred to in paragraph   (d) is, or includes, alienated Crown land:

  (i)   ensure that the estates and interests in that land or part of persons (other than the Crown) are acquired by the Crown by surrender or otherwise; and

  (ii)   after any acquisition referred to in subparagraph   (i) has been effected, recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in that land or part be made to that Land Trust.

  (1AE)   Where:

  (a)   a Commissioner recommends to the Minister in two or more reports made under paragraph   50(1)(a) that areas of Crown land should be granted to two or more Land Trusts for the benefit of Aboriginals entitled by Aboriginal tradition to the use or occupation of those respective areas of land, whether or not the traditional entitlement is qualified as to place, time, circumstance, purpose or permission; and

  (b)   the Minister is satisfied that the areas of land or parts of the areas of land to which each of at least two of those reports respectively relate should be granted to a single Land Trust to be held for the benefit of Aboriginals who are the relevant Aboriginals in relation to each of those areas or each of those parts;

the Minister shall:

  (c)   do either of the following:

  (i)   establish a single Land Trust under section   4;

  (ii)   make a determination in writing specifying a single existing Land Trust;

    that is to hold those areas or those parts of those areas for the benefit of Aboriginals who are the relevant Aboriginals in relation to those areas or parts; and

  (d)   if those areas or those parts of those areas are not, and do not include, alienated Crown land--recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in those areas or parts be made to the Land Trust; and

  (e)   if those areas or those parts of those areas are, or include, alienated Crown land:

  (i)   ensure that the estates and interests in those areas or parts of persons (other than the Crown) are acquired by the Crown by surrender or otherwise; and

  (ii)   after any acquisition referred to in subparagraph   (i) has been effected, recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in those areas or parts be made to that Land Trust.

  (1AF)   Where land that is contiguous to Aboriginal land would have been the subject of a recommendation by the Minister under subsection   (1), (1AB), (1AD) or (1AE) but for the existence on that land of a stock route (other than a stock route to which subsection   50(2E) applies), then, if the land ceases to be a stock route, the Minister may, on the application of the Land Council for the area in which the land is situated, recommend to the Governor - General that a grant of an estate in fee simple in that land or part of that land be made to the Land Trust that holds, or to one of the Land Trusts that hold, contiguous Aboriginal land.

  (1B)   Where an amalgamation in respect of which the Minister has taken action under subsection   4(1C) involves an area of land that was the subject of a deed of grant (in this subsection referred to as the former deed ) to an existing Land Trust, the Minister shall recommend to the Governor - General that the Governor - General execute, in lieu of the former deed:

  (a)   if that area of land is wholly to be held by another Land Trust--a new deed of grant of an estate in fee simple in that area to that other Land Trust; or

  (b)   if that area of land is to be held, as to part of that area, by that existing Land Trust and as to part of that area, by another Land Trust--new deeds of grant of estates in fee simple in the respective parts of that area to the respective Land Trusts that are to hold those respective parts of that area.

  (3)   A reference in subsection   (1), (1AB), (1AD) or (1AE) to land shall be read as not including a reference to any land on which there is a road over which the public has a right of way.

  (4)   In this section, relevant Aboriginals , in relation to an area of land, means Aboriginals entitled by Aboriginal tradition to the use or occupation of that area of land, whether or not the traditional entitlement is qualified as to place, time, circumstance, purpose or permission.

  (5)   A recommendation under paragraph   (1)(d) or (e), (1AB)(e), (1AD)(e) or (f) or (1AE)(d) or (e) that a grant of an estate in fee simple in land be made to a Land Trust may include a recommendation that the deed of grant not be delivered to the grantee until a condition specified in the recommendation has been complied with.

  (6)   A determination under subparagraph   (1)(c)(ii), (1AD)(d)(ii) or (1AE)(c)(ii) is not a legislative instrument.