Aboriginal land councils fear new NSW law will cut amount of land open to traditional owners’ claims

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council says the state’s new law gives the lands minister the power to retrospectively vary land tenures. Photograph: Steven Saphore/AAP

Local Aboriginal land councils in New South Wales say they remain deeply concerned about changes to laws governing crown land which could retrospectively affect land claims.

The state parliament passed the Crown Land Management Amendment bill on Wednesday, despite months of advocacy and opposition from traditional owners who say it will reduce the area available to claim under NSW’s land rights act.