Native Title Act 1993

Native Title Act 1993 came into effect 1 Jan 1994. The Act is part of the Commonwealth Government’s response to the High Court’s finding in the Mabo case. The Act sets up a National Native Title Tribunal and court processes to be used by people who want to claim native title to land. To claim native title people must prove:

• your people owned the land under Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander customs and laws;

• you have not lost your traditional links with the land; and

• Governments have not used the land or given it to anyone else in a way which ‘extinguishes’ or takes away your native title forever Commonwealth of Australia, January 1994.