More than 1.4 million hectares of land within the Wanjina-Wunggurr Wilinggin Native Title determination area will be returned to Ngarinyin Traditional Owners, represented by the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation.
The transfer of land from the Western Australian government is part of the newly registered Wilinggin Indigenous Land Use Agreement.
The ILUA, announced Tuesday, between the State Government and the Ngarinyin Traditional Owners will facilitate the transfer of land across Wilinggin Country in the Kimberley, including nine properties from the Aboriginal Lands Trust amounting to more than 40,000 hectares.
Two significant pastoral leases, spanning over half a million hectares in total and situated along the iconic Gibb River Road, will also be transferred to the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation who will manage the land on behalf of the Traditional Owners.
Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation Chair Arnold Sahanna said Traditional Owners "welcome the completion of the Indigenous Land Use Agreement process between Wilinggin and the State Government".
"I thank the government for the constructive and innovative way that the ILUA negotiations were carried out and look forward to future opportunities where the State and Wilinggin can build on the achievements of today's outcomes," he said.
The Land Use Agreement effectively returns control over these lands to the Ngarinyin people, enabling them to carry out land and cultural management activities that will drive social, cultural and economic benefits for their community.
Kimberley MP Divina D'Anna said the new ILUA "will help to unlock new, sustainable social and economic opportunities for the Ngarinyin people".
"The agreement paves the way for more than 1.4 million hectares of land to be transferred back to Traditional Owners, supporting ongoing connection to Country and empowering them to manage these lands for the long-term benefit of their communities," she said.
WA Planning and Lands Minister John Carey said the state government is committed to providing appropriate land tenure that supports Aboriginal communities and Native Title owners across WA to "create opportunities for employment, training and sustainable self-management".
"Under stewardship of the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, these land transfers will support connection to Country and enhance social and cultural outcomes for the Ngarinyin people," he said.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Punch said the agreement represents "an important step" towards economic independence and self-management for the Ngarinyin people, opening opportunities that have the potential to be "transformational" for those living on Wilinggin Country today and into the future.
