The Aboriginal Land Rights Commission , also known as the Woodward Royal Commission , was a royal commission that existed from 1973 to 1974 with the purpose to inquire into appropriate ways to recognise Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory of Australia . The commission was chaired by Justice Edward Woodward , who was appointed to the role by Gough Whitlam . It was not long after the 1971 defeat of the Yolngu claimants in the Northern Territory Supreme Court , in Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd , in the first Aboriginal land rights case in Australia .
23-507: (Redirected from Woodward Royal Commission ) The Woodward Commission may refer to: Aboriginal Land Rights Commission , chaired by Edward Woodward Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking , chaired by Philip Woodward See also [ edit ] John Woodward (lawyer) , chairman of the NSW Office of The Commissioners of Inquiry for Environment and Planning Topics referred to by
46-636: A number of community-owned enterprises, such as the Kalkaringi Store and Caravan Park. Daguragu community is situated on Aboriginal land held under perpetual title. A native title claim was lodged in 2016 by the Central Land Council on behalf of the traditional owners , as there were mining interests in area covered by Wave Hill Station 's pastoral lease. On 8 September 2020, the Federal Court of Australia recognised
69-687: A precedent in the Commonwealth controlled Northern Territory. Justice Woodward was appointed as Aboriginal Land Rights Commissioner in February 1973 to inquire into appropriate ways to recognise Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory. The Northern Land Council and Central Land Council were established in the same year to assist with the work of the commission. The Aboriginal Land Rights Commission produced two reports. The first report, issued during July 1973, recommended
92-634: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Aboriginal Land Rights Commission After the defeat of the Aboriginal plaintiffs in Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd , the first Aboriginal land rights case in Australia , a deliberate decision to pursue a political course rather than legal challenge to the High Court of Australia was taken by
115-463: Is located in Kalkarindji, and is also the service centre for Daguragu, which is 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north-west of Kalkarindji, adjacent to Wattie Creek. The Gurindji Aboriginal Corporation is a Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC) owned by the communities of Kalkaringi and Daguragu, a total of about 700 people of mainly Gurindji, Mudburra and Warlpiri heritage. It oversees
138-708: Is located on the Buntine Highway , about 554 kilometres (344 mi) south of Darwin and about 480 kilometres (300 mi) south-west of the municipal seat in Katherine . Kalkarindji is located on the left floodplain of the Victoria River , making it prone to flooding when extreme weather events occur. In February 2001, ex-tropical cyclones Winsome and Wylva caused major flooding, and many properties and roads in Kalkarindji were inundated. In late February to early March 2023, heavy rains fell over
161-786: The Australian Defence Force carried evacuees out of Kalkarindji to Katherine. They then travelled by bus to Darwin, to be accommodated at the Centre of National Resilience in Howard Springs . On 7 March it was reported that it could be a month or longer before residents of some communities would be able to return home, as many houses and infrastructure had been so severely damaged by the floodwaters; however, only about half of homes in Kalkarindji had been affected. Around 700 people had been evacuated, while 80 to 100 dogs had been left behind. Contractors later delivered food to
184-874: The Australian Government in April 1974 was based on the land councils' submissions. The 1974 report found: The Whitlam Labor Government supported the findings of the second report of the Royal Commission and in a gesture of peace handed over the allotted land to the Gurindji people to defuse the Wave Hill protest, in August 1975. In 1976, the Fraser Government passed The Aboriginal Land Rights Act that allowed Aboriginal people in
207-542: The Australian Government to assist Aboriginal Australians to set up land councils. In August 1973, the Second Whitlam Ministry accepted the findings of the first report and authorised the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, then Gordon Bryant , to convene the two proposed Aboriginal Land Councils as soon as possible. Woodward's second and final report as Aboriginal Land Rights Commissioner, presented to
230-636: The National Heritage List, of which five are in the Kalkaringi area and two within Daguragu. The Freedom Day Festival celebrates the Wave Hill walk-off and Gurindji culture each year in Kalkarindji. The 2016 Australian census which was conducted in August 2016 reports that Kalkarindji had 334 people living within its boundaries of which 285 (84.8%) identified as " Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples ". Kalkarindji
253-489: The Northern Territory to make claims on land to which they could prove traditional ties. The Land Rights Act is largely the product of Justice Woodward's recommendations. Kalkarindji Kalkarindji (formerly Wave Hill Welfare Settlement , also spelt Kalkaringi ) is a town and locality in the Northern Territory of Australia, located on the Buntine Highway about 554 kilometres (344 mi) south of
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#1732765160385276-474: The area, with Kalkarindji recording 134 mm (5.3 in) of rain in the 24 hours to 1 March. The upper Victoria River exceeded major flood levels, standing at 16.99 m (55.7 ft); the major flood stage is 14 m (46 ft). Evacuations were ordered for residents of Daguragu, Kalkarindji, Pigeon Hole , and Palumpa . An emergency was declared for district. First, Daguaragu and Pigeon Hole were fully evacuated to Kalkarindji, whence two aeroplanes of
299-494: The dogs. Precious artworks and historical artefacts, kept in the art centre, were saved from flood damage by moving them to safe storage. Kalkarindji a town and locality in the Northern Territory , located within the federal division of Lingiari , the territory electoral division of Stuart and the local government area of the Victoria Daly Region . The council office for the ward of Kalkarindji/Daguragu
322-532: The lawyers, one of whom was Edward Woodward. At the time, the membership of the Court was likely to reject Justice Blackburn 's finding that there was a coherent system of Aboriginal law relating to land. By not having the appeal rejected by the High Court, the findings of Justice Blackburn that were favourable to the plaintiffs (and by extension to other Aboriginal Australian peoples, and the concept of land rights
345-658: The native title rights of the Gurindji people to 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) of the Wave Hill Station, allowing them to receive royalties as compensation from resource companies who explore the area. Justice Richard White said that the determination recognised Indigenous involvement (Jamangku, Japuwuny, Parlakuna-Parkinykarni and Yilyilyimawu peoples) with the land "at least since European settlement and probably for millennia". The court sitting took place nearly 800 kilometres (500 mi) south of Darwin, and descendants of Lingiari and others involved in
368-566: The owners of Kalkarindji Meats, Windbox Pty Ltd, and the Gurindji Aboriginal Corporation as well as the Central Land Council over various matters. In February 2019 it was discovered that there had been pits dug for dumping meat waste within the native title area of Kalkarindji and very near to the heritage-listed Wave Hill track. This continued on and off until September 2020, when both the Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments started an investigation into
391-434: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Woodward Commission . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Woodward_Commission&oldid=465919037 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
414-696: The territory capital of Darwin and located about 460 kilometres (290 mi) south of the municipal seat in Katherine . Kalkarindji and the nearby settlement of Daguragu are the population centres of the land formerly held under the Wave Hill Cattle Station . In 1966, the Aboriginal station workers, led by Vincent Lingiari , staged the Gurindji strike , also known as the Wave Hill Walk Off, in protest against oppressive labour practices and land dispossession. A portion of land
437-534: The town’s name was changed to "Kalkarindji" after a review of the original spelling by tribal elders. As of 2006, Daguragu Community Government Council provided "municipal and other services to the township and surrounds of Kalkaringi (formerly known as Wave Hill) and to Daguragu, a community settled on land under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976 ". The total council area was about 3,237 square kilometres (1,250 sq mi). Kalkaringi
460-473: The walk-off celebrated the determination. The owners will participate in the mining negotiations and exploration work, from which royalties may flow in the future, which may allow people in the Kalkarindji and Daguragu communities to create their own businesses. Just as important is the right to hunt, gather, teach and perform cultural activities and ceremonies , and allow the young people to connect with their land. There have been several legal disputes between
483-468: Was maintained as a possibility, at least until the membership of the High Court had changed. In 1972 at the launch of his party's election campaign, Gough Whitlam, as Labor Opposition Leader, promised if elected to legislate for Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory of Australia. When elected, rather than introduce a national land rights law, the Whitlam government chose instead to establish
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#1732765160385506-559: Was returned to the Gurindji people in by UK-based station owners, the Vestey Group , after negotiations by the Whitlam government in 1975. Kalkarindji reportedly began in 1972 as the "Wave Hill Aboriginal Township". On 5 October 1976, land was associated with existing settlement was proclaimed under the Northern Territory’s Crown Lands Ordinance as a town named "Kalkaringi". In 1985, the spelling of
529-893: Was within a gazetted township area, with the land being leasehold under the auspices of the Northern Territory Government . The existing boundaries and name were gazetted by the Northern Territory Government under the Place Names Act on 4 April 2007. The Wave Hill walk-off route was listed on the Northern Territory Heritage Register on 23 August 2006 and on the Australian National Heritage List on 9 August 2007. There are also seven other associated sites on
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