The Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC) is a land council that represents the Anindilyakwa people of the Groote Archipelago in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is one of four land councils in the Northern Territory.[1] The head office is located in Alyangula.
History
editRepresenting 14 clans of the archipelago, the council is a corporate commonwealth entity formed in 1991, enforced by the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.[2][3] Under section 23(1) the ALC manages land and sacred sites in the interest of traditional owners, assists with economic development, offers consultation services, administers permits and preserves culture through management of intellectual property and copyright.[4]
The region is known for its significant deposits of manganese.[5]
Controversy
editIn August 2024, the Commonwealth froze funding for the ALC following an audit of claims of misuse of mining royalties invested in Winchelsea Mining, a company that ALC's chief executive Mark Hewitt and chair Tony Wurramarrba direct.[6][7] Investigations were triggered by a petition signed by over 200 residents, more than 16% of Groote Eylandt's population.[8] This led to a review by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.[9]
References
edit- ^ "The Aboriginal Land Rights Act". Central Land Council. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. 16 Dec 1976. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Transparency Portal". www.transparency.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "About Us". Anindilyakwa Land Council. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "No exports from major NT mine for up to 12 months after cyclone damage". ABC News. 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "Federal government freezes funding to NT land council as embattled chief executive flags resignation". ABC News. 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ Ben Abbatangelo, Rachel Hoffman (2024-07-20). "'Everything was going wrong': the white executive, the mine and the corruption referral". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ Brissenden, Neve (23 February 2024). "Groote Eylandt residents call for land council probe". National Indigenous Times. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Land council boss accused of misusing millions referred to anti-corruption commission". ABC News. 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2024-09-11.