Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust facts for kids
The Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust is a special group that looks after a large area of land in the southwest part of the Northern Territory, Australia. It was officially started in July 1978. This land is called Northern Territory Portion 1634 and it covers about 44,970 square kilometers. That's a really big area!
This land trust manages most of what used to be the Petermann Reserve from 1920 to 1977. The people who have lived on this land for a very long time, called the traditional owners, are mainly Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, and Luritja people. This includes families living in Kaltukatjara and more than 50 smaller family communities called outstations.
The land held by the Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust is surrounded by other Aboriginal land areas. To the west, it borders the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Western Australia. To the south, it touches the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia. To the north, it borders the Haasts Bluff Aboriginal Land Trust, and to the east, it borders the Katiti and Urrampinyi Iltjiltajarri Aboriginal Land Trusts.
How the Petermann Land Trust Was Created
In March 1920, a large piece of land in the southwest of the Northern Territory was set aside as the Petermann Reserve. This was meant to be a safe place for Aboriginal families. Many of these families still lived a traditional, nomadic way of life, moving around the land.
This reserve was next to other big reserves in Western Australia and South Australia. Together, these areas were known as the Central Australian Aboriginal Reserve. Over time, the Petermann Reserve became smaller. In 1940, some land was taken away so people could search for gold. It was made smaller again in 1958. This happened when the government created the Ayers Rock–Mt Olga National Park around Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa.
The Aboriginal Land Rights Act
In 1976, the Australian Parliament passed an important law called the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. This law made it possible for Aboriginal communities to get full ownership of their land. To do this, they had to show that they had lived on the land for many years.
Section 4 of this law gave the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs the power to create Aboriginal Land Trusts. These trusts would then look after the land ownership for the communities. The trusts were officially started by putting notices in the government's official gazette.
In 1977, the land from the old Petermann Reserve was given to the Petermann Land Trust and other Aboriginal groups. The exact borders of the Petermann trust were first written down in the Gazette on July 21, 1978. These borders were later made into a strong law by Act No. 109 of 1985. This law officially began on October 16, 1985.
