Australian Government Department of Families, 
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

Changes to the permit system
Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976

•	Permits are currently required to enter and remain on Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory
-	except in specific circumstances, it is an offence under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 to enter or remain on Aboriginal land without a permit
-	permits are granted by Land Councils or traditional owners of the land.
•	The requirement to obtain a permit will be removed in relation to:
-	common areas of major communities 
-	airstrips and access roads to the communities.
•	Common areas include:
-	roads in the communities and areas that are normally accessible to everyone such as public buildings and facilities, shops, art centres and the like.
•	Private residences and sacred sites will continue to be protected.
•	The requirement to obtain a permit will also be removed in relation to:
-	people attending court hearings on Aboriginal land
-	people performing Commonwealth or Northern Territory Government duties on Aboriginal land.
•	The permit system will continue to apply to the vast bulk of Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory
-	this includes homelands.
•	The Northern Territory Government will also be given the power to make laws to temporarily restrict access to areas where the permit system no longer applies to protect the privacy of a cultural event or to protect public health and safety.
•	The changes will be implemented by amendments to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.

More information on the changes is available at this website: www.oipc.gov.au