A new map, released by the National Native Title Tribunal, shows that native title now covers around 50 percent of Australia! There is another 12 percent of the land mass of the country yet to be considered, but one can bet a bottom dollar that these will be successful claims.
It is said that following Mabo, and Keating’s Native Title Act that native title cannot threaten private property, since here is an exclusive interest in the land that extinguishes native title. Thus, these figures relate to unallocated or vacant Crown land and certain areas already held by, or for, Indigenous Australians. That has not stopped claims being made to metropolitan areas as detailed by this report in 2006: “MORE native title claims over metropolitan areas could be made after Tuesday's Federal Court decision to recognise native land rights over the city of Perth, the federal Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, said yesterday.