Converting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land in Queensland into Ordinary Freehold

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land (Providing Freehold) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014 (Qld) ('Freehold Act') is the latest in a series of government reforms to Indigenous land tenure in Australia. It is also the most radical reform yet, in that it enables areas of Indigenous land to be divided into smaller portions and converted to ordinary freehold. This article describes how the Freehold Act will operate and considers what it will mean for Indigenous landowners and communities. Through a comparison with township leasing in the Northern Territory, the article also identifies the way in which very different approaches are being taken to enabling economic development in communities on Indigenous land. Those differences have not been acknowledged previously, but are important to understanding the likely impact of each reform.