Using the levers. Native title, the environment and economic development on Cape York

Over the last 20 years Cape York indigenous people have effectively used native title and the considerable environmental assets of Cape York to leverage Aboriginal freehold land outcomes and legislative reform as a platform for economic development and jobs. For many native title holders, their biggest asset is the conservation value of their land, which must not be traded too cheaply. This presentation will set out the rationale and history of the Cape York Tenure Reform program and the issues involved in achieving the return of land and balancing indigenous control, economic development and conservation.