By Tasman Ash Fleming -
Key decisions
- La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council v Quarry Street Pty Ltd [2025] HCA 32
- New South Wales v Wojciechowska [2025] HCA 27
- Laming v Electoral Commissioner of the Australian Electoral Commission [2025] HCA 31
NATIVE TITLE
Land rights – Crown land
In La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council v Quarry Street Pty Ltd [2025] HCA 32 (3 September 2025), the High Court allowed by majority an appeal from the Court of Appeal of the NSW Supreme Court.
The relevant land, which fell within the lands of the La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council (‘LPALC’), was crown land subject to a lease to the Paddington Bowls Club Ltd for recreation and erection of buildings in the form of a clubhouse, from 1962 until 2010. From 1 December 2010, a new 50-year lease was granted and, with the consent of the Crown Lands Minister, transferred to CSKS Holdings Pty Ltd (‘CSKS’). Relevantly, CSKS did not undertake any purposeful activity on the land.
