Huge native title claim agreed in western New South Wales

The Newey Reserve bacame a Federal Court room for the hearing. Photo contributed

Following a 40 year wait, the Ngemba, Ngiyampaa, Wangaaypuan and Wayilwan people of western News South Wales have had their native title claims recognised by the Federal Court.

One of the biggest native title claims in western NSW, it includes land and water up to the Barwon River in the north, the Lachlan River in the south, the Castlereagh River in the east and Ivanhoe in the west.

The claim recognises native title rights including the right to hunt, fish and gather resources, the right to access and camp on land and the right to protect places of cultural and spiritual importance.

A representative from the Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Land Council said that on Wednesday August 14th, history was made for the community of Brewarrina in Cobar, with this land claim being finalised in court.

Ernest Gordon who was the Chairperson of the Brewarrina Local Aboriginal Land Council made the claim on 13th August 1984, meaning it took exactly 40 years to settle.

The Native Title Consent Determination Hearing – a momentous event for the claimants was an open-air court room in the Newey Reserve within Cobar Shire. […]

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