Warumungu land: a partial history of land title

The key references are reports of the Aboriginal Land Commission; see especially the List of Exhibits in each:: [Maurice J] 1991. Warumungu Land Claim. Report by the Aboriginal Land Commissioner to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and to the Administrator of the Northern Territory. Report no. 31. xxiii+280pp. ISBN 0 644-13737 1. 91/20025 Cat. No. 91 0019 0. [UPC:] 9 780644 137379 Canberra: A.G.P.S.; [Olney J.] 1991. McLaren Creek Land Claim. Report No. 32, AGPS, Canberra.
and also: [Toohey J] 1982. Warlmanpa, Warlpiri, Mudbura and Warumungu Land Claim. Report by the Aboriginal Land Commissioner to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and to the Administrator of the Northern Territory. No. 11. R81/663 Cat. No. 8122481. Canberra: A.G.P.S.

Aboriginal Land Commissioner (ALC) reports are available at http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/gov/20140213022801/http://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/indigenous-australians/publications-articles/land-native-title/aboriginal-land-commissioners-reports

The CLC compiled a chronology

chronology of events relating to land title
1892	Aboriginal Reserve gazetted east of Telegraph Station
	Map published in Australian Aboriginal Studies 1984/1,2-16.
1934	1892 Reserve revoked and Aboriginal Reserve (Warramunga) gazetted further east around Gosse River floodout
1946?	Phillip Creek reserve (Manga-Manda) gazetted
1962	Aboriginal Reserve (Warramunga) revoked
1978 November 20	Warumungu land claim application lodged
1979 May	NT Government enlarges Tennant Creek Town to 710 (750?) km² to frustrate claim
1982 November	Hearing begins at Tennant Creek. Some areas alienated to NT Land Development Corporation.
1983 August	High Court hearing
1984 February	High Court rules that Warumungu claim hearing should proceed
1985 March	CLC Tennant Creek office opens
1985 March	land claim hearing starts afresh
1985 April	McLaren Creek PL purchased for traditional owners

1986	Federal Court of Australia Re: The Attorney-General for The Northern Territory of Australia and: The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; George Brown Jungarrayi; Lawrence Kelly Jakamarra; In the Matter of the Kaytej, Warlpiri and Warlmanpa Land Claim; In the Matter of the Warlmanpa, Mudbura, Warlpiri and Warumungu Land Claim No. NSW G11 of 1986 Administrative Law

1987 February	claim hearing resumes after legal challenges, halted by unsuccessful NTG application for Commissioner to disqualify himself
1987 April-June	claim hearing concludes; final submissions in August
1988 July	Aboriginal Land Commissioner's report recommends grant of 6400km²; repeat claims lodged to excluded areas
1988 September	broad lease-back or land swap arrangements adjacent to town proposed to Town Council and NTG; almost all agreed by 1996
1988 September	McLaren Creek hearing begins at the homestead
1991 May	Title to 2852 km² (northern part of Area 1) returned at Pinjinja
1992 May 12	Title to McLaren Creek former PL returned at Karlanjarrangi outstation
1992 July	Kanturrpa-Kanttaji land claim to 150km² negotiated settlement without hearing evidence
1992 December	Titles to 3090 km² returned by Hon. Robert Tickner at Kurraya for Whistleduck, Phillip Ck reserve, southern part of Area 1, and Mungkarta 2 (around Wauchope)
1993 March	Title to 290 km² near the town returned at Tennant Creek racecourse
1993 July	Title to 190 km² (No.7 Dip) and 150km² (Kanttaji) is returned at Cabbage Gum Bore
1996 October 30	NT freehold titles to 75km² north of town (Partta, Kunjara, Tennant Ck Conservation Reserve, downstream from Maryann Dam) returned at Maryann Dam to Partta Land Aboriginal Corporation (a land holding Aboriginal Corporation set up under the Aboriginal Councils and Association Act 1976 (Cmth)
1999 December	Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Amendment Bill (No.3) 1999 "provides for 3 parcels of land at Frewena and Rockhampton Downs totalling just over 8000ha to be added to Schedule 1 of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act"
2000 June	Titles to 80.8km² is returned by Sen. Herron at Kurnturlpara outstation for Kurnturlpara, Kalumpitja and Kalumpitja 2 (added to Schedule 1 of ALRA)
2007 September	Patta Warumungu People v Northern Territory of Australia [2007] FCA 1386 for claim to 65 administrative parcels of land, covering approximately 42.1 sq km in and around the town of Tennant Creek; consent determination that "native title exists in 18 of those parcels, which are relatively large and surround, but are within, the declared township. Those parcels comprise around 80% of the total claim area" http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AUIndigLawRw/2007/87.pdf

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Last changed 11 August 2016