Locals at a world-famous Queensland tourist attraction fear they will be denied access to a national park due to a land claim by indigenous corporations.
Residents of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) are concerned about a “secret” bid for freehold ownership of the two main townships – Eurong and Happy Valley.
Fraser Island Association president David Anderson said there were fears non-Indigenous residents and tourists could be left out of the new area, after the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation reportedly said they would be seen as “trespassers”.
‘(Most of) the bushland around Eurong, which is something like 270 hectares of state land, will be transferred to Aboriginal ownership and that will be exclusive title.
“If you want to go on a hike through the forest, we have to walk down the road to the National Park for a walk, or get in our cars and drive somewhere where we can access the forest.”
He said the move was only due to an apparent administrative error in the 1960s that failed to publish the Eurong and Happy Valley municipal reserves.
Residents of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) are concerned about a “secret” land grab after an indigenous corporation bid for freehold ownership
Native title can only be claimed over vacant Crown land that is not gazetted for another purpose.
The Butchulla people, who hold native title over most of K’gari along with a 30 hectare lease, have lodged a claim over five square kilometers of Eurong and Happy Valley which was transferred to them as “inalienable freehold” under the Aboriginal Land Act.
Locals say they were caught off guard and only told the transfer was “definitely happening” at a meeting last week with the Department of Resources, Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation and Fraser Coastal Council.
“Negotiations had been going on for quite some time with the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, but we only found out about two years ago,” Mr Anderson told 2GB.
“Happy Valley had a very active community association at the time and they took up the issue.”
He said the proposed offer for Happy Valley caught the attention of Eurong, which is where Mr Anderson lives, “and we put together submissions that were ignored by the Queensland Department of Resources”.
“We then hired lawyers, and the lawyers met with the department and with Crown law, and the department was told they had to adopt procedural fairness, otherwise any transfer would be invalid,” Mr Anderson said.
‘We were then given the opportunity to submit new applications for the preservation of the land for future use.
“We are happy to give them land around Eurong, but the land we said we would like for future development, future infrastructure and community use was ignored.”
The Butchulla people, who hold native title over most of K’gari and a 30-hectare lease, have lodged a claim over five square kilometers of Eurong and Happy Valley.
Happy Valley Community Association Secretary Scott Bell accused those involved of making a “secret deal” and said it only came to light by “accident.”
‘They (the Butchullas) made a claim about our police reserve, our educational reserve and the esplanade that effectively denies us access to the beach,’ he said.
“What people don’t realize is that the land next door where you go to exercise or walk your dog may not be able to do so in the future.”
A Department of Resources spokesman denied any agreement had been reached and said last week’s meeting was to keep the community informed about the process.
“The department continues to work with the Butchulla Town, Fraser Coast Regional Council and the community on the proposed transfers,” the spokesperson said.
The land deals in K’gari come at a time when Aboriginal corporations have reportedly claimed freehold ownership of public lands in 15 Queensland townships.
Fraser Island Association president David Anderson said if the bids go ahead, residents will effectively be left landlocked.
The Courier Mail reported that this was revealed by the Department of Resources in response to a question in state parliament.
The 15 municipalities have not been named by the Department of Resources due to privacy concerns from First Nations groups who have submitted expressions of interest in the land transfers.
He mail reported that Indigenous peoples across Queensland have been granted more than six million hectares of state land that is held in trust for the benefit of traditional owners and cannot be sold or mortgaged.
