Diversity at the board level of local land councils is "shaping the future" of land rights in NSW, with the state's peak now following suit with new leadership appointments.

Reconvening for its first meeting in 2026, New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) has appointed Leeanne Hampton as its deputy chair.

Ms Hampton joins Dr Raymond Kelly in the leadership ranks, who was re-elected as chair, while Ross Hampton did not re-stand for his previous deputy-chair position.

Both Ms Hampston and Mr Kelly were elected uncontested.

NSWALC say the appointments fall in line with wider moves seen through local land councils across NSW, where 54 per cent of board structures are majority-led by women.

"I'm very honoured to be elected as NSWALC Deputy Chairperson by my fellow Councillors,'' Ms Hampton said.

"NSWALC is building on strong foundations to secure a stronger, more self-determined future for Aboriginal people across New South Wales. I am deeply committed to this work and take on the responsibility of serving as Deputy Chairperson.

"I look forward to working alongside Chairperson Kelly to deliver meaningful and lasting outcomes for our communities, and thank Cr Hampton for all he has done in this role."

At NSWALC, Clare McHigh is the current chief executive, with Anne Dennis, Grace Toomey and Diane Randall, as councillors, joining her and Ms Hampton as elected representatives.

'Shaping the future of Aboriginal Land Rights in New South Wales'

Ms Hampton has served as a NSWALC councillor since 2019 and also sits on the state government's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee.

NSWALC's Youth Advisory Committee is also majority female.

"I am incredibly proud to be joining the growing number of Aboriginal women in leadership positions across the Network," Ms Hampton said.

"The strength and diversity in our leadership - including the role women and young people play - is shaping the future of Aboriginal Land Rights in New South Wales, and that is incredibly powerful."

The continuing chair thanked Mr Hampton for his work, adding NSWALC's leadership confirmations come at "at a pivotal moment in time" for the Aboriginal land rights network.

"There is still important work to be done in returning land to Aboriginal communities across NSW," Mr Kelly said.

NSWALC outlines a state-wide network of 121 Local Aboriginal Land Councils, representing a combined membership of 28,000 people, they manage and work with.

A fortnight ago, NSWALC made the call for reform on submitting the 60,000th land claim in NSW - itself a reclaim of outstanding submission dating back as far as 1984.

Mr Kelly labelled the milestone as "corrective" rather than "symbolic", placing onus on the State to meet what he called its obligations while Aboriginal people in the state fulfill what is required of them.

A state government spokesperson told National Indigenous Times: "The NSW Government is committed to delivering Aboriginal land rights as a key outcome of Closing the Gap and recognises the importance of land rights in delivering economic prosperity to Aboriginal people.

'Bringing a human rights approach back to Land Rights'

"We are proud of the work we are undertaking across the Network and what it is doing to uphold our vision for Aboriginal Land Rights in this State - land acquisition and activation, building on the strengths of our communities, protecting and promoting our Culture and Heritage, and securing our futures," Mr Kelly said this week with NSWALC's leadership announcement.

"With our leadership, we have an opportunity to strengthen our work and the support we provide to all our Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs)."

"We are bringing a human rights approach back to Land Rights and are committed to working with all levels of Government and our communities to have better outcome-based programs and services."

"There is still important work to be done in returning land to Aboriginal communities across NSW. We are deeply committed to working with all levels of government and our communities to deliver better outcomes. I look forward to working alongside Cr Hampton and all NSWALC Councillors to advocate for a system that operates efficiently and responds to our claims with urgency."