The Queensland Ombudsman is to launch an investigation into plans to hand over a huge tract of land to an indigenous group following a backlash from locals.
The state government is preparing to hand over the 210ha Toobeah Reserve to the Bigambul Aboriginal Native Title Corporation near the New South Wales border in south central Queensland.
Local publican Michael Offerdahl has described it as a “secret Aboriginal land grab” that will hand over 95 per cent of the town, which has about 150 residents, and $2 million worth of land to the Bigambul people.
He has lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman confirming he will investigate the deal, which has largely been resolved by Goondiwindi Mayor and LNP state chairman Lawrence Springborg.
Mr Offerdahl claims the council failed to consult the community before agreeing to the transfer and failed to consider the rights of non-Indigenous residents to use waterways and fish, which he says are at risk under native title.
The complaint alleges that the council described the reserve as unsuitable for general camping, which it has been open for since 1906.
However, Mr Springborg said claims that locals could be locked out of large parts of their town were “completely false”.
“There is not a single square metre of people’s privately owned land, or land that the community can legally access, that could be affected by this,” he said. mail last month.
The remote southern Queensland town of Toobeah (pictured) has become the centre of a controversial debate in the state over the transfer of land to traditional owners.
Local business owner Michael Offerdahl (third from right) said he was concerned that locals would have to ask permission to enter the reserve and that this could set a precedent for other areas.
‘These (Aboriginal) land transfers have been going on in Queensland since 1991.’
Mr Springborg said the council would negotiate with Bigambul and the state government to purchase designated native title land in Toobeah for future expansion of the town.
He said the council had no control over the land transfer but had told the government the process needed to be reviewed to provide better community participation.
Mr Offerdahl told the Daily Mail Australia last month that Mr Springborg “asked me to support him as mayor before he did this shit to our city”.
“The Bigambuls have no rights to this area that are of greater significance than any other in Australia,” Offerdahl said.
“It would be crazy to think that the only company in the municipality has no interest in the municipality.”
The Bigambul people said they will preserve a city water easement and access to rodeo lands on the preserve, which they plan to develop as an “eco-cultural attraction.”
They have accused those opposed to the move of spreading “falsehoods and misinformation” and are willing to work with the community “to develop and improve the site for the benefit of all.”
Queensland’s Aboriginal Land Act allows the state to transfer land held in trust by traditional owners to local Aboriginal corporations.
Although the state government has denied that the land transfer will happen, it recently revoked the Goondiwindi Regional Council’s trusteeship of the Toobeah Reserve, which it had held since 1906.
The 220 ha Toobeah Reserve is located directly north of the city and has served as the primary recreational center since its inception.
Queensland Critical Minerals and Resources Minister Scott Stewart defended the transfer, saying there was “no cover-up”.
“The transfer of land under the Aboriginal Land Act is granted as an ‘unalienable freehold’ title, meaning the land cannot be sold or mortgaged,” he previously told Daily Mail Australia.
Instead, the land “is held in trust for the benefit of the persons connected to it, who will continue to care for it.”
The minister added that “it is important to note that the Toobeah Reserve is outside the municipality.
‘No final decision has been made regarding the Reserve, and I think the fact that the people of Bigambul are offering to work with the community is a good thing.’
Toobeah is one of 14 towns in Queensland that have attracted interest from First Nations groups.