The Aboriginal Land Commissioner is a statutory officer of the Commonwealth.
The Commissioner’s functions are detailed in the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (the Act).
Section 50 of the Act shows the Commissioner’s functions to be:
- undertaking inquiries into traditional land claims in the Northern Territory (NT)
- providing reports to the relevant Commonwealth Minister and the Administrator of the NT
- providing advice to the Commonwealth Minister on any matter relevant to the Act.
On 28 September 2023, the Honourable Justice Jenny Blokland was appointed as the Aboriginal Land Commissioner on a part time basis for a two year term by the Governor-General, his Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC,
The Honourable JR Mansfield AM KC holds the office of Aboriginal Land Commissioner. This role is on a part-time basis to complete open land claims inquiries.
Review of Part V of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976
In April 2022 the Minister for Indigenous Australians requested the Aboriginal Land Commissioner to conduct a review of Part V of the Act. Part V deals with the functions and responsibilities of Aboriginal Land Commissioners.
On 30 June 2023, the Commissioner provided the Minister for Indigenous Australians with a set of recommendations related to the Terms of Reference.
Further information on the review can be found in the following documents.
- Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth)
- Terms of Reference
- List of stakeholders invited to participate in the Review (PDF 130KB) | (DOCX 24KB)
- Formal advertisement for notice of interest (PDF 126KB) | (DOCX 39KB)
- Issues Paper for Public Discussion (PDF 177KB) | (DOCX 30KB)
- Privacy notice and consent form (PDF 82 KB) | (DOCX 568 KB)
Detriment Review 2017-2018
In 2017 the Minister for Indigenous Affairs sought advice from the Aboriginal Land Commissioner on detriment issues relating to 16 land claims recommended for grant between 1981 to 2004 which were not yet finalised.
On 24 December 2018 the Commissioner provided the former Minister with recommendations in accordance with the Terms of Reference. The Report was tabled in the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament on 21 February 2019.
Further information on the review can be found in the following documents.
- Report on Review of Detriment: Aboriginal Land Claims Recommended for Grant But Not Yet Finalised
- Terms of Reference
- Supporting information
- Submissions