Kabi Kabi Indigenous People Awarded Native Title Rights Over Sunshine Coast and Parts of Queensland
Australia’s federal court has officially recognized the Kabi Kabi Indigenous group as Native Title owners of a significant portion of South East Queensland, including the Sunshine Coast.
This region spans from areas near Childers in the north to Bribie Island in the south, covering around 300 km (186 miles). It also includes parts of the Sunshine Coast region from Gympie to popular destinations like Maroochydore, Caloundra, Bribie Island, and Mudjimba, as well as scattered parcels of land near Imbil, Jimna, and Kilkivan.
The state government announced this determination on 17 June, acknowledging non-exclusive rights over more than 365,000 hectares of land and water around the Sunshine Coast, which includes approximately 20,000 hectares of waterways.
This recognition allows the Kabi Kabi people to access, traverse, camp, and construct temporary shelters in the designated area. They can also gather resources for various purposes and light fires for domestic cooking, but not for hunting or vegetation management.
Despite these rights, they must still adhere to the laws of the state and the Commonwealth. Resources and Critical Minerals Minister Scott Stewart emphasized that this recognition is a crucial step towards reconciliation and the preservation of Indigenous culture.
Kabi Kabi traditional owner Michael Douglas expressed his satisfaction with the determination, highlighting the significance of being recognized as a traditional owner of the lands. The decision is a part of a larger claim being processed in stages.
Chairman of Close the Gap Research, Gary Johns, explained that the Native Title determination grants non-exclusive user rights over specific land areas and excludes certain zones like boat harbors, housing, railway, grazing, leases, manufacturing, industrial, residential, or business spaces. It also allows native people to be buried within the Native Title area and conduct meetings on that land.
