14 February, 2014
Karuah LALC wins appeal on Allworth land claims
Thursday, February 13th, 2014
The New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council congratulates the Karuah Local Aboriginal Land Council on its successful appeal of three land claims in the community of Allworth.
The claims were originally refused on the grounds that the land was lawfully used and occupied by the general public and needed for the essential public purposes of access and public recreation.
However, the Karuah LALC was familiar with the land and advised that a cricket pitch comprised within the claims had not been played on the land for a very long time. For this reason the Karuah LALC decided to appeal the refusals.
Councilor Peter Smith, representing the Mid-North Coast region says the land transfer is a significant win for the community.
"Karuah has a long history of fighting for the rights and aspirations of Aboriginal people, "Councillor Smith said. "This appeals process is another notch in their belt and a credit to the broader land rights movement."
"I want to congratulate all of those involved from the LALC to the zone support, to the NSWALC Legal unit. It's a great win for Aboriginal land rights in New South Wales."