A country publican in Queensland lost his battle to prevent the town of Toobeah from being transferred to an Indigenous corporation.
Despite this, Michael Offerdahl vowed to continue fighting against the Aboriginal Land Act in the state. He owns the Toobeah Hotel at Goondiwindi.
He has been campaigning to stop the Bigambul Native Title Corporation from taking over the town.
The Bigambul Native Title Corporation had asked for 210ha of land, which was allegedly unallocated state land, to be transferred to them as “inalienable freehold.”
Mr. Offerdahl argued that transferring the land would result in the loss of about 95 percent of the town and the restriction of access to it by the locals.
The Bigambul people, who claimed that the reserve only represented less than a percent of the district, said that it was meant to be used for camping and travelling. They also promised to maintain a water easement and access to the town’s Rodeo Grounds.
According to land records, the site was handed over to the BNTAC last month following the state government’s decision to remove the Goondiwindi regional council’s trusteeship over the reserve.
Mr Offerdahl, who was angry at the local mayor and LNP state president Lawrence Springborg for their tacit support of the transfer, called the situation “pretty s***.”
He claimed that the local council had been the one who carried out the illegal transfer, and that the LNP was only able to win this battle due to Springborg’s support.
He also noted that the state government did not show any proof that the trusteeship of the reserve could be taken away.
He also stated that the local council would prevent his kids from swimming in the creek, and that they would have to sign an access agreement with an Aboriginal corporation in Cherbourg.
He also took issue with the support that the local MP for the Southern Downs, James Lister, gave to the land transfer, which he claimed went against the LNP’s opposition to the Path to Treaty.
During his time defending the Toobeah land transfer, Mr Springborg has stated that the claims that the community would lose a large portion of its town were completely false.
He said that there was no land that could be legally accessed by the locals that could be affected by the transfer.
In Queensland, land transfers involving Aboriginal groups have been happening since 1991. Mr Springborg noted that the Bigambul people were open to discussing with the Toobeah residents about giving them access to the reserve that they currently don’t have. He also said that there were members of the community eager to participate in the process.
The council has also indicated that it would seek to purchase native title land in Toobenah for the town’s future expansion. According to the government, 6.7 million hectares of this land, which includes 11 parcels in 2023-24, has been transferred under the Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal Land Act.