It’s easy (and lazy) to lump Aboriginal land councils together whenever a scandal breaks. That does harm. The better question is: what specific vulnerabilities keep showing up and how do we close them?
ICAC’s work offers a clear starting point. In 2022, the Commission found four people engaged in corrupt conduct in a scheme involving Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council, and also warned that LALCs can be susceptible to unscrupulous external approaches, and the risk rises during internal turmoil.
Earlier, ICAC made findings of serious corrupt conduct against a CEO and an administrative officer at Casino Boolangle LALC after a detailed inquiry.
These cases are not the whole sector, other land councils do operate with care under tight rules in the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW)… but oversight exists even though the Registrar can investigate, issue compliance directions and appoint administrators, and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council is suppose to support the network.
However, complexity and scarce specialist capacity make land dealings a high‑risk area. Even the NSW Audit Office has criticised how agencies (including NSWALC and the state) facilitate and administer the land claim process.
Recent news also shows good‑faith attempts to resolve member disputes and strengthen transparency – for example, an independent review at Orange LALC led to recommendations to lift openness and cut conflict, even as media coverage reported member concerns earlier in the year.
What would help now
- Mandatory capacity boosts for complex deals. Require independent probity advice and external legal review before any land disposal or major agreement – not as a punishment, as standard practice.
- Public dashboards. Routine publication of meeting outcomes, conflicts registers, and land deal timelines builds member trust.
- Registrar transparency. Quarterly public stats: complaints received, directions issued, investigations opened or closed. (The Registrar already investigates and mediates – publish the metrics.)
- Shared services for finance. Secondment pools or shared CFO services for smaller LALCs to reduce single‑point‑of‑failure risk.
The problem is not identity… It’s the familiar mix of high‑value decisions, uneven capacity and dated safeguards. Fix those – and we reduce the space for misconduct while respecting self‑determination.
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