27 March, 2026
It has been a week since the Crown Land Management Amendment (Statutory Review) Bill 2026 (the Bill) was introduced to Parliament, and since then, Minister Kamper continues to spread misinformation and stoke community division.
Let us be clear – these tactics are just fear-mongering.
We, as Aboriginal people, are not new to being used as a political football, but what has played out this past week is a stark reminder of how far backwards we have gone.
But we are here to set the record straight.
Kamper is saying we are seeking to evict valuable community services, like the fire services, surf and tennis clubs. This is simply not true.
We are part of these communities. We live locally, we breathe locally. Our kids and families benefit from these services. We don’t seek to shut down community assets that are in use.
As a clear example, the tennis club at Talus Reserve that Kamper keeps referencing is still operating. Community use continues.
We have also facilitated a new emergency services precinct in Byron Bay, which makes available some of the most valuable real estate in the country to facilitate new stations for police and the fire services.
In December 2024, Steve Kamper said the two Aboriginal Land Agreements (ALAs) negotiated over Sandhills Estate, Byron Bay, were a great example of “Crown land being utilised to deliver a range of benefits for critical emergency services, Aboriginal outcomes, community recreation and environmental protection.”
He also said it was an example of “NSW agencies and the Land Rights Network working together to secure an outcome that puts the needs of the community and our social infrastructure first.”
The question now should be, why has Kamper changed his tune?
We have continued uses such as Child Care, Aged Care, public use and recreation, and the only change is to local community ownership and better, localised management.
Kamper has effectively ceased resolving claims, creating the very problem he claims to be trying to fix with this Bill. He has walked away from Aboriginal Land Agreements, which allow for local decision-making to come to win-win solutions, between community groups, time and time again.
The truth is, the State Government has simply been unlawfully and incompetently managing public land. They’re trying to cover this up with divisive and discriminatory laws and language.
As with the sneaky, underhanded way this Bill was introduced, we can only guess what Kamper and his office are really trying to achieve.