Kimberley Aboriginal Land Title – Can the Gordian Knot be Cut?

Howard Pedersen has worked for thirty-five years with Aboriginal organisations and government, and has an enduring interest in the question of Aboriginal land ownership and related land tenure within a Kimberley context. His presentation traces the evolution of a system of land tenure developed in the colonial past of Western Australia, and the need for its reform in a post-colonial and Native Title context. This juxtaposition has the utmost relevance for us here in the Kimberley, given current discussions around Aboriginal community ‘closures’ and the impending introduction of the “Rangelands lease” as a land tenure alternative