Crown Lands Review

  • NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (the ALRA)

  • Evaluation of the Crown Land Management Act (the CLMA) 2016 - A Discussion Paper – March 2021

    • NSWALC’s Submission to the Discussion Paper

    • Evaluation of the Crown Land Management Act 2016 Implementation - Finding and Recommendations July 2021

  • Draft State Strategic Plan – A Vision for Crown Land 2020

    • NSWALC’s Submission to the State Strategic Plan

    • Final Crown Land 2031 State Strategic Plan for Crown Land

NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (the ALRA)

The ALRA was established to return land in NSW to Aboriginal peoples through a process of lodging a claim(s) for certain Crown lands. As such, the management and disposal of Crown Lands is a key issue for Aboriginal Land Councils as it provides a compensatory mechanism for the dispossession of land from Aboriginal peoples.

More information about the Aboriginal Land Rights Act is available by clicking here.


Evaluation of the Crown Land Management Act (the CLMA) 2016 - A Discussion Paper – March 2021

In March 2021, the Crown Land Commissioner released a Discussion Paper seeking feedback into the effectiveness of the CLMA

Evaluation of the Crown Land Management Act 2016

This evaluation of the Act provided an avenue for all stakeholders to reflect on how Crown land is being managed and used under the new legislation and to consider new and innovative ways that would enable Crown land to be better managed in the future.

The Discussion Paper centred around seven key areas of focus: innovation and the State Strategic Plan for Crown Land, Aboriginal connection, accessibility and usability, community involvement, local council-managed land, western land opportunities, and compliance and protection of land.

NSWALC’s Submission to the Discussion Paper

NSWALC prepared a Submission to the Crown Land Management Act 2016 (the CLMA) Discussion Paper which included the following Recommendations.


NSWALC’s full Submission can be found here:

NSWALC Submission to the Crown Lands Management Act 2016

Evaluation of the Crown Land Management Act 2016 Implementation - Findings and Recommendations July 2021

A report on the review’s Findings and Recommendations has been released and is available here:

Evaluation of the Crown Land Management Act 2016 Implementation


Draft State Strategic Plan – A Vision for Crown Land 2020

The draft State Strategic Plan – A Vision for Crown Land outlined a proposed vision and strategy for management of Crown land in NSW. The document also provided an introduction to the ‘what, where and how’ of NSW Crown land. This was the first such plan for Crown land, and it represented an opportunity to change the way Crown land is managed for the benefit of the communities of NSW.

State Strategic Plan - A Vision for Crown Land

NSWALC’s Submission to the State Strategic Plan

NSWALC prepared a Submission to the State Strategic Plan – A Vision for Crown Land which included the following Recommendations.


NSWALC’s full Submission can be found here:

NSWALC Submission - NSW Crown Lands Draft State Strategic Plan

Final Crown Land 2031 State Strategic Plan for Crown Land

The final version of the State Strategic Plan has been released and is available here:

Crown Land 2031 – State Strategic Plan for Crown Land

Crown Lands Review