About land transfers
For more than 30 years, the Queensland Government has granted land to First Nations people under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991 and Torres Strait Islander Land Act 1991. Under the Acts, the Minister can make decisions to facilitate the granting of land.
The purpose of these Acts is to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples to have ownership of land to manage according to their traditions or customs, recognising the spiritual, social, historical, customary, cultural and economic importance of land.
Land is granted as ‘inalienable freehold’ title. This means that the land can’t be sold or mortgaged but is held in trust for the benefit of the people connected to the land—who will continue to take care of the land. Native title is not impacted by a land transfer.
Who is the land transferred to?
Land can be transferred to either an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander corporation, including a Registered Native Title Body Corporate, or an existing Land Trust established under the Acts.
What land can be transferred?
Transferable lands include:
- Deed of Grant in Trust land (DOGIT)—land granted in trust for the benefit of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander inhabitants
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reserve land—land set apart for the benefit of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander inhabitants, or for the purpose of an Aboriginal reserve
- available State land the Minister declares to be transferable land
- national parks in the Cape York Peninsula region and on Moreton Island.
View maps of transferrable land:
- Map of transferable land (DOGITs and Reserves and Aboriginal Land Leases) under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991 and Torres Strait Islander Land Act 1991
- Map of transferable land (national parks and unallocated state lands) under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991
- Map of Cape York Peninsula region (PDF, 2 MB)
You can see a list of all land that is currently declared transferrable under the Acts.
Land not yet declared as transferable
Other types of land may be declared transferable by the Minister for Resources. This may include land that is subject to an expression of interest (EOI) application.