[1] The Land Council advocated for change and influenced the New South Wales Government to establish a Select Committee of the Legislative Assembly upon Aborigines in November 1978.
Key recommendations from the Inquiry included the establishment of a land rights system in New South Wales supported by Aboriginal Regional Land Councils.
The Act admitted that:[3]“Land is of spiritual, social, cultural, and economic importance” to Aboriginal peoples, and that, “as a result of past Government decisions the amount of land set aside for Aboriginal persons has been progressively reduced without compensation”.The Act allowed Aboriginals to lay claim Crown land not otherwise required for any essential purpose.
[6] Land councils created by the Act are only allowed to deal with land which is the subject of native title rights and interests after a native title determination has been made.
[4] A number of changes were introduced in the Aboriginal Land Rights Amendment Act 2014.