Land Back

Aboriginal land rights recognition in 1983 came after nearly 200 years of violent colonial dispossession and the near complete loss of land. For over 40 years, NSW Aboriginal people have worked to restore their Country and people.

The Aboriginal Land Rights Act in NSW includes unique features that remain unrealised in other parts of the country. The laws announced the policy of self-determination, compensation for loss, a land claims process, support for enterprises and the establishment of a network of land councils. Today there are 120 land councils that operate across the state.

Yet significant features of the land rights promise remain outstanding. Less than 1 per cent of the state has been restituted to Aboriginal land councils, with tens of thousands of land claims yet to be determined.

In Land Back, Professor Heidi Norman, a leading expert on Aboriginal political history, has brought together voices at the forefront of the land rights movement, including lawyers, NSW Aboriginal Land Council Youth Committee members, students, academics, activists and organisers, to share the successes, failures and possible futures of NSW land rights.

About the Author

Heidi Norman is a descendant of the Gomeroi people of north-western NSW. She is a professor at UNSW and a leading researcher in the field of Australian Aboriginal political history. She has published widely on histories of Aboriginal land rights, Aboriginal participation in Rugby League, studies of media representation, the history of Aboriginal working life in cities and political history of Aboriginal affairs administration. She is the director of the Indigenous Land and Justice Research Group and has advised government and Aboriginal peak bodies. Most recently, she contributed to development of the Australian Government's First Nations Clean Energy Strategy.