More than 250 leaders from across the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Network have voiced their opposition of the new Crown Lands Management Amendment Bill, with an emergency meeting held on Monday.

The Crown Lands Management Amendment Bill was introduced into the NSW Legislative Council late last Tuesday and has been publicly framed by Minister for Lands and Property, Steve Kamper, as containing minor procedural amendments.

But the Network, comprising of Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC), warned that the proposed changes would have major consequences on Aboriginal Land Rights, and weaken longstanding public protections over Crown land in NSW.

On Monday, 121 Local Aboriginal Land Councils and 30,000 members convened in Parramatta, Sydney, to plan their response to what they describe as an "immediate threat" posed by the Bill.

"Today, leaders representing all 121 Local Aboriginal Land Councils and their 30,000 members will come together to develop a coordinated strategy to oppose this legislation," said NSWALC Chairperson, Dr Raymond Kelly.

"This is about standing united and taking decisive action against the hollowing out of land rights. When Premier Neville Wran introduced the only land restitution framework in Australia in 1983, I am sure he didn't think that a Labor Government would be killing it in 2026.

"This impacts more than just our people. It impacts the entire NSW public."

NSWALC Deputy Chairperson, Cr Leeanne Hampton, believes the Bill is motivated by the NSW Government's intent to undermine the Australian High Court's recent decision around Quarry Street—a legal case that has been described as "pivotal" for both the La Perouse Aboriginal community and broader Aboriginal Land Rights.

"Let's be clear - a key driver of this Bill is to overturn the High Court's Quarry Street decision. That sets a dangerous precedent for retrospective law-making, and every person in this State should be alarmed," she said.

"The claim that this Bill won't affect the broader community is simply not true. Local councils, regional landholders and neighbouring property owners will all be impacted by expanded Ministerial powers that go well beyond those of ordinary landholders.

"This is not just about Aboriginal Land Rights. We are the canary in the coal mine. If governments can do this here, the real question is - where does it stop, and who is next?"

Sean Gordon, Wangkumarra and Barkindji man and former chief executive of Darkinjung LALC on the NSW Central Coast, also expressed his concern online at the weekend.

Despite government claims of slight administrative and flexibility improvements, Mr Gordon says a close reading of the proposed amendments raises "a serious question about the future of Aboriginal Land Rights".

He pointed to section 5.20B, which reads "enables the Minister, by notice published in the Gazette, to declare a holding over Crown land to be valid or vary a holding if making the declaration is in the public interest."

Mr Gordon wrote: "If a lease can later be validated and treated as having always been lawful, it has the potential to undermine valid Aboriginal land claims after the fact."

Despite the community response, Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper has defended the Bill in a statement on Monday. He maintains that the amendments are necessary to address what he described as a "broken" Aboriginal Land Claims system, and that the Bill upholds the Aboriginal Land Rights Act.

"What is clear is that our Aboriginal Land Claims system is broken. We have more than 43,000 historical claims, some dating as far back as the 1980s," Minister Kamper said.

"The Act was designed as a reparation mechanism, prior to the introduction of Native Title.

"The idea was that if there is Crown Land sitting unused, it should be claimable and provided to the Local Aboriginal Land Council. We stand by this principle."

Minister Kamper stated that the Bill will only address "edge cases that became claimable due to technical non-compliance, such as an invalid sub-lease".

The "spirit" of the ALRA never intended for sites "well utilised by the local community" to be claimable, the Minister said, citing examples of submitted claims that were at risk due to "technical non-compliance"—such as the Cronulla Marina, Talus Street Reserve and the Matraville Firestation.

"If we don't address the backlog of 43,000 claims, community infrastructure will continue to be paralysed," Minister Kamper said.

"We want a system that works for everyone. That is why we invested $1.5 million in a business case to address the historic backlog in cases. We have also invested $17.9 million to support Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) to acquire, rezone, and activate land— unlocking local economic potential and building community wealth.

"While a range of stakeholders were engaged as part of the statutory review of the Act last year, the NSW Government will take the time to engage with stakeholders, including Local Aboriginal Land Councils, prior to the Bill being debated in the upper house."

The office of the NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, David Harris, chose not to comment.