The land councils have helped Aboriginal people win back almost half of the NT land mass and 80 per cent of the coastline under land rights, as well as more than an additional 250,000 square kilometres of land and water under native title. In the coming ‘post-determination’ era, they are increasingly focussed on assisting Aboriginal people to use their land for social, cultural and economic benefits.

The new era presents fresh opportunities and challenges for Aboriginal economic participation.

The CLC’s new economic participation unit will play a crucial role in coordinating and catalysing economic development, leveraging the organisation’s broad capabilities, and applying learnings from past approaches to support sustainable economic outcomes for its constituents. The CLC engaged consultants to advise on how to structure the unit and its interaction with the following economic participation activities:

• land use agreements
• land planning and enterprise support
• ranger program
• employment support
• community development program
• ABA applications support
• Centrecorp Aboriginal Investment Corporation shareholding (charitable trust benefiting Aboriginal people)
• partnership with the Northern Land Council (Centrefarm horticultural pilots scheme)
• participation in NT remote housing steering committee
• advocacy and policy development relating to land tenure, employment and training and Aboriginal economic development.