Over the last decade, Australian governments have introduced a series of land reforms in communities on Indigenous land. This book is the first in-depth study of these significant and far reaching reforms. It explains how the reforms came about, what they do and their consequences for Indigenous landowners and community residents. It also revisits the rationale for their introduction and discusses the significant gap between public debate about the reforms and their actual impact. Drawing on international research, the book describes how it is necessary to move beyond the concepts of communal and individual ownership in order to understand the true significance of the reforms. The book's fresh perspective on land reform and careful assessment of key land reform theories will be of interest to scholars of indigenous land rights, land law, indigenous studies and aboriginal culture not only in Australia but also in any other country with an interest in indigenous land rights.

The introduction of Indigenous land tenure reform in Australia was accompanied by strikingly neoliberal rhetoric. This chapter compares that language with the outcome of the reforms themselves. It argues that for the most part the reforms are better characterised in terms of paternalism. While it can be described as neoliberal paternalism, it is the paternal elements of the reforms that are most significant.

The Australian Government has put considerable effort into the uptake of township leases in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, a reform introduced in 2006. It argues that the leases have the potential to transform the economic environment of Aboriginal communities. This article explores the true relationship between township leases and economic development. It draws on empirical research and a set of newly-developed concepts - the leasehold spectrum, an occupier-driven approach, a landowner-driven approach - to explain the particular way in which township leases alter the economic circumstances of communities. Contrary to what is often suggested, for the most part township leases implement a landowner-driven rather than occupier-driven approach. This has consequences not just for how development occurs, but also for who benefits from developments. Until now, those consequences have not been debated in public forums. Similar issues arise in other Indigenous communities around Australia. The article reframes discussion about land reform in Indigenous communities so that these important issues can be given more careful thought.