Indigenous group’s sprawling native title claim across six Qld council areas

The Bigambul people have lodged claims for almost 8000 sqkm of land across six local government areas surrounding Goondiwindi as well as an 58ha parcel in the Darling Downs.

Toobeah, near Goondiwindi, has been divided since the government’s plans to transfer the 210ha town reserve to the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation.

An Indigenous group who sparked outcry over claims they were taking over a tiny Queensland town have upset locals in a nearby community with two more native title claims totalling almost 8000 square kilometres of land.

The Bigambul people have lodged claims for 7737 sqkm of land sprawling across six local government areas surrounding Goondiwindi as well as a 58ha parcel in Turallin, near Millmerran on the Darling Downs.

It follows the former state Labor government’s controversial transfer of the town reserve in Toobeah, near Goondiwindi, to the Bigambul Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC) as freehold land late last year.

A group of Millmerran area residents, including former Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio, say they’re worried about the latest claims and how they could impact the community.

Their concerns include the Turallin claim being over a property already owned by the BNTAC, with freehold land typically deemed to extinguish native title.

Millmerran resident Harvey Caldicott said locals were struggling to find out what was going on.

“You need to be a Queen St lawyer to try to work it out,” he said.

“What happened in Toobeah upset a lot of people and there are a few concerned people around here too.

“There’s no neighbourly contact with the Bigambul – we get nothing. You find out all this stuff in newspapers and hidden in documentation. There’s no engagement whatsoever.

“The process shouldn’t be sneaky – lay it on the table and be honest about what they’re planning. What’s the agenda and why the secrecy?”

Another long-time local, who did not want to be named, said the Turallin claim – made over a property bought by the BNTAC in 2013 – appeared to be “a claim inside a claim”.

“We just want to know what’s going on,” he said.

Wakka Wakka dancers celebrate the successful native title claim lodged by the Bigambul people.

Another Millmerran resident, Gail Rielly, said the native title claims were “just another way to cause more division in our communities”.

Mr Antonio said he had never heard of the Bigambul people “until just a few years ago”.

“I’ve seen some of these things that have turned out to be very difficult for the community, and I just hope and pray that we don’t see it here,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone around Millmerran has any problems with the Indigenous community. I treasure the relationship I have with the Indigenous people I’ve worked with.

“I just hope that as we work through this process that we can get it right, so it works out good for the broader community.”

The residents’ concerns have been heightened by newspaper ads setting a July deadline for responding to the claims.

A BNTAC spokeswoman said the corporation “welcomes open engagement” and was happy to meet with concerned residents to “have a yarn”.

“Bigambul have a main office in Goondiwindi and publicly listed contact details, and welcome all members of the community to contact them at any stage,” she said.

She said native title was not permitted over freehold land unless that land was owned or held in trust for Indigenous people, as the Turallin property was.

“There are several sites on the property which are significant to all Bigambul People, and since 2013 we have been using the property to pass on traditional knowledge to our young people,” she said.

The spokeswoman said while the Turallin property was just outside the area over which Bigambul native title had been determined, “the anthropology supports the fact that the property is located in our traditional country”.

She said the larger 7737 sqkm claim did not apply to freehold or leasehold land and was designed to cover the remaining parts of the McIntyre and Moonie River drainage basins which were not included in the original native title determination in favour of the Bigambul people.

“It is supported by anthropology which confirms that these areas are part of the traditional lands of the Bigambul people and should have been included in the original determination of native title in favour of the Bigambul people,” she said.

The 210ha Toobeah reserve was transferred to the BNTAC late last year under the Aboriginal Land Act which allows unallocated state land to be given to First Nations groups as “inalienable freehold”, but which cannot be sold or mortgaged.

The transfer was made despite a vocal campaign by Toobeah publican Michael Offerdahl, who claimed it would result in 95 per cent of the town being given away.

This was hotly disputed by the Bigambul people, who said the reserve represented less than 1 per cent of the Toobeah district and was only meant to be used for travelling stock and camping. They also pledged to preserve a town water easement and rodeo grounds access on the reserve, on which it plans an “eco-cultural attraction”.

Native title has been determined to exist across about 490,000 sqkm or 29 per cent of Queensland, with 6.32 million ha deemed as freehold Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander land.

Originally published as Indigenous group’s sprawling native title claim across six Qld council areas