| Indigenous land use agreements* that establish how the Kuuku Ya’u People, Queensland Government and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will work together to manage national parks and the marine park where native title exists have been finalised through registration with the National Native Title Tribunal.
The Kuuku Ya’u People’s native title rights over 1980 sq km of land and sea on eastern Cape York Peninsula were legally recognised on 25 June 2009 in the first native title consent determination made over Queensland seas.
During negotiations between the Kuuku Ya’u People and parties to the native title claim that led to the consent determination, three ILUAs were developed to clarify how the rights of all parties would be carried out in the area.
The Kuuku Ya’u People, the Queensland Government and GBRMPA made an ILUA about managing and protecting the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Another ILUA was developed between the Kuuku Ya’u People and the Queensland Government about the Forbes Islands National Park, Quoin Island National Park and Piper Islands National Park.
National Native Title Tribunal Member Graham Fletcher who mediated between the parties, said the recent registration of these ILUAs with the Tribunal, following the earlier registration of a third ILUA the Kuuku Ya’u People developed with the Cook Shire Council, finalised the agreements and made them legally binding.
“Under the ILUAs the parties will build on the relationships they developed during negotiations and work together to ensure these precious natural environments are well managed and protected,” he said.
“Parties now have certainty that their rights will be protected into the future and clarity about how they can exercise their rights alongside those of other groups in the area.”
*ILUAs are broad, flexible agreements about the use and management of land made between Indigenous groups and others under the Native Title Act. |