26 November, 2021

26 November 2021

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) is pleased to inform the Land Rights network that the NSWALC Annual Report 2020-2021 is now available online.

The NSWALC Annual Report was submitted to The Hon. Don Harwin, MLC Minister and has been presented to the NSW Parliament on 23 November 2021.

Some highlights from the NSWALC Annual Report include:

• Renewed deliveries of comprehensive food and hygiene support packages to LALCs across the state, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions.
• Continued prudent management of the Statutory Investment Fund throughout the COVID-19 crisis.
• NSWALC supported a number of Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) to participate in Aboriginal Land Agreements (ALA). The ALAs utilise opportunities to return land to Aboriginal communities providing both cultural and economic benefits.
• The establishment of NSWALC’s Aboriginal Repatriation Program to facilitate the unconditional repatriation of Aboriginal artefacts and cultural items owned by NSWALC to the relevant LALC(s).
• NSWALC lodged 1932 new land claims during the year, with 432 determinations declared. The rate of granted claims as a percentage of overall determinations was 41 per cent in 2020–21, compared to a historical average of 26 per cent.
• Continued participation in the work of the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations (NSWCAPO) as Co-Chair and Secretariat, as NSW transition to the implementation phase of the Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.

An overview of land claims, statutory information and other progress are now available in the NSWALC’s Annual Report 2020-2021, available online on the NSWALC website at https://alc.org.au/resource-type/annual-report/.