Arabic version: هوبارت تؤيد إعادة أرض في كوينز دومين إلى السكان الأصليين

According to ABC News, Hobart City Council has voted to give in-principle support to handing back nearly five hectares at the Queens Domain summit for an Aboriginal-owned cultural centre.

The 4.9-hectare parcel near the summit, off Domain Road, was identified last year as a potential site for a centre operated by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the motion passed nine votes to three, although some councillors raised procedural concerns about whether a future handback could be blocked.

The vote is not final approval. It enables the council chief executive to investigate subdivision title issues and seek legal, planning, heritage, environmental and land-tenure advice. A development application and public consultation would still be required, while any cultural centre would need a separate future development application.

The council says the proposed subdivision of the currently public land would not affect public access. If approved, the site would be jointly maintained through a collaborative arrangement proposed by the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, which would share stewardship of the broader Queens Domain.

ALCT general manager Sarah Wilcox said the transfer could provide a cultural centre and a place to care for sacred cultural items. The centre is proposed to host cultural items, provide a performance space, and support Aboriginal food enterprises and tourism activities. If it receives final approval, it would be Tasmania’s first Aboriginal land return in more than 20 years.