Aboriginal traditional owner aspirations for national park homelands and the Cape York Peninsula Heritage Act 2007(QLD)

I investigate the national park management reforms within Cape York Peninsula Heritage Act 2007 (Qld) and the likelihood that management arrangements negotiated under the Act can meet the aspirations of Traditional Owners. The Uw Oykangand people based in Kowanyama aspire to Aboriginal land tenure and community-based management of the Mitchell-Alice Rivers National Park. They have been recognised as the Traditional Owners of the National Park after protracted proceedings under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991 (Qld). The Cape York Peninsula Heritage Act certainly progresses legislative requirements to involve Traditional owners in national park management, and thus has the potential to meet many of the Uw Oykangand's aspirations. However, there is insufficient evidence at this stage to foresee how the Uw Oykangand families will proceed when confronted with still more negotiations over land which they have always known as their own. Much will depend on the policy currentlty in development, particularly with regards to power sharing and conflict resolution, the resources available to implement the Act and the capacity of the community to engage in potentially demanding and time-consuming negotiations