Cash to buy Cape land

AN extra $20m has been earmarked by the state government to snap up Cape York land that will be added to existing national parks to create a millionhectare protection zone.

The voluntary land purchase will be jointly managed by traditional owners as new national parks and Aboriginal freehold is added to existing stateacquired land.

The latest funds from part of a $38.5m package. New funding follows the acquisition of Bramwell Station for a reported $11.5m in 2021 and adjoining property the 131,900ha Richardson Station 630 kilometres northwest of Cairns, in February.

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said more than 3.85m hectares of Cape York Peninsula land has been transferred to traditional owners by the Cape York Peninsula Tenure Resolution Program.

“This is about land justice,’’ she said. “We share an ugly and uncomfortable history in this country. And our first nations communities have waited generations to have their land back.

“This new funding brings us ever closer to righting the wrongs of the past.’’

The $38.5m will be used during the next four years to advance the Cape York Peninsula Tenure Resolution Program and manage vast tracts of land.

Balkanu Cape York Development executive director Gerhardt Pearson said the land tenure program recognised the importance of economic development for traditional owners.

“Revenue is generated through activities such as gravel extraction, grazing, tourism, carbon offsets contracts, and ‘fee for service’ land management activities,’’ he said.

“There are social, cultural, health and wellbeing benefits that flow from traditional owners owning and managing their homelands.”

Funding has been broken down into $2.6m to manage Springvale Station Nature Refuge, $4m for joint management of existing 32 National Parks and $31.9m, including acquisition funds, to continue the program.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Craig Crawford said land tenure was the way forward for first nations people at Cape York.

“This is where we can draw a line in the sand and work jointly with the traditional custodians,” he said.

“This program allows them to take control of their own economic destiny.”