Aboriginal Group Seeks Native Title Across Six Regions as Residents Protest

• Aboriginal group made native title claim
• The claim encompasses nearly 8,000 square kilometers of land.
• READ MORE: Sussan Ley weighs in on Welcome to Country ceremonies

A local community has been disturbed by an indigenous group. Queensland community over two native title claims totalling almost 8,000sq kilometres of land.

The Bigambul people have submitted claims for 7,737sq km of land, which covers six local government areas surrounding Goondiwindi, a rural town on the border of Queensland and NSW .

A claim has also been lodged for a 58ha parcel in Turallin, near Millmerran on the Darling Downs.

This follows the controversial transfer of the town reserve in Toobeah to the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC) by the former state Labor government as freehold land last year.

Residents have shared their concerns about the local claim including a group of Millmerran locals and former Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio.

They say they're concerned about the impact the claims could have on the community and worry it could be divisive.

Other concerns include the Turallin claim concerning a property already owned by the BNTAC.

Millmerran resident Harvey Caldicott said locals felt they were being kept in the dark over the claims.

"What occurred in Toobeah disturbed many individuals, and there are also several worried folks in this area," he mentioned. The Courier Mail .

'There's no neighbourly contact with the Bigambul – we get nothing. You find out all this stuff in newspapers and hidden in documentation.

'There's no engagement whatsoever.'

Gail Rielly, another resident of Millmerran, voiced her concern that the native title claims might lead to divisions within the local community.

Mr Antonio stated that he does not think the people of Millmerran have any problems with the Indigenous community.

He stated that native title claims could be 'extremely challenging' for the local community and expressed hope that this wouldn’t be the situation here.

Ads in newspapers stating a July deadline for addressing the claims have heightened worries among locals.

A representative from BNTAC mentioned that the Indigenous group welcomed open discussions and were pleased to converse about the claim with any residents who had concerns.

The Bigambul group has an office in Goondiwindi, and members of the community have been encouraged to get in touch.

The spokesman stated that native title is not permitted on freehold land except when such land is owned or held in trust for Indigenous individuals, as applies to the Turallin claim.

"There are multiple locations within the property that hold great importance for all Bigambul People. Since 2013, we've utilized these areas to impart traditional wisdom onto our younger generation," she stated.

The Turallin property has been found to lie outside the scope of the Bigambul native title.

However, the spokesperson argued the anthropology of the property can be used as evidence to support it being a part of Bigambul traditional land.

She stated that the bigger 7,737 square kilometers assertion was not applicable to properties with freehold or leasehold status.

This assertion would encompass the leftover sections of the McIntyre and Moonie River catchment areas that weren’t part of the initial native title decision.

The 210ha Toobeah reserve was transferred to the BNTAC last year under the Aboriginal Land Act.

This act allows unallocated state land to be given to Indigenous groups as 'inalienable freehold', but it cannot be sold or mortgaged.

Toobeah publican Michael Offerdahl fronted a campaign against the transfer and claimed it would result in 95 per cent of the town being given away.

The Bigambul people said this was untrue and the reserve represented less than 1 per cent of the Toobeah district.

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