New Aboriginal land council proposed in Australia's Northern Territory

CANBERRA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- A proposal to establish a new Aboriginal land council in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) could give Yolngu Indigenous communities greater control over their land and economic affairs.

Gumatj clan elder Djawa Yunupingu announced plans for the Dilak Land Council at the Garma Festival, Australia's largest Indigenous gathering, in northeast Arnhem Land last weekend, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Saturday.

The proposal comes as Australia marks the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (NT), a landmark legislation that followed decades of Aboriginal protest and advocacy and led to the creation of four land councils, experts said.

Yunupingu said a Yolngu-run council would allow traditional landowners to make decisions directly for their own people and work with governments and businesses on development, the ABC reported.

Any formal land council application would also require approval from Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy, the report said. Enditem