WA Lands Minister Ben Wyatt has announced his intention to grant sole management authority of an East Kimberley reserve to the Yawoorroong Miriuwung Gajerrong Yirrgeb Noong Dawang Aboriginal Corporation (MG Corporation), the representative traditional owners for the East Kimberley sub-region.
Management of the reserve by MG Corporation is a component of the Ord Final Agreement and forms part of a broad Government commitment to Aboriginal economic development in Western Australia.
The Ord Final Agreement, an agreement between the State and MG Corporation, set out the sole management conditions and included MG Corporation aspiring to solely manage the reserve in the long term, a request that they made in mid-2015.
The reserve was originally resumed from the pastoral estate and created as a reserve in 1970s to support Ord River irrigation works, better manage soil erosion and enhance the traditional culture of the Miriuwung Gajerrong people.
The land is currently jointly managed between MG Corporation and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation as part of the Ord Final Agreement.
Source: WA Government