Landmark deal as operation of Roebuck Plains Station near Broome transferred to Nyamba Buru Yawuru

Management of a pastoral station on the outskirts of Broome has been returned to Yawuru traditional owners eight years after gaining ownership of the lease. In 2014 Roebuck Plains Station and export depot were transferred from the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation to Nyamba Buru Yawuru in a deal then valued at $15 million, with ILSC staying on to operate the 276,000ha property. Now, in a landmark deal on Tuesday, the station’s management has been handed over to NBY, which will take ownership of the business, environmental and cultural development of the station. NBY chief executive Nini Mills said gaining control of the land would protect cultural practices and languages for generations. “These industries were built on the back of our old people’s blood, sweat and tears, and for us to now be in the position to take control of the station is a tribute to their legacy and their sacrifice,” she said. “We have been managing our buru (country) for millennia, it is part of us, and Roebuck has always been of important cultural significance for our people. “We will balance the operations and management of the station with Yawuru cultural, social and environmental values, and we hope this will create a blueprint for other groups to follow in the future. Ms Mills said the training opportunities would follow the current successful training model which had seen 160 people graduate the program since 2008. The ILSC has for the past eight years helped to develop the station’s business, cultural and environmental credentials, including management of the Indigenous Protected Area. ILSC chief executive Joe Morrison said the group was transitioning away from agribusiness to instead support traditional owners to realise their aspirations. “The ILSC and NBY have worked hand in hand over the past six years to ensure Roebuck is a viable business, and we are proud to have supported the traditional owners as they have prepared to take over running the station,” he said. “This decision enables the ILSC to rebalance and focus on its core purpose of returning country to Indigenous Australians so that they enjoy the rightful entitlements, opportunities and benefits that the ownership and management of country brings. “It’s a momentous occasion for Yawuru and represents the culmination of a long‐term relationship which has balanced protection of country, culture and social enhancement with the generation of economic benefits.” Operations of the station were handed over on Tuesday and the export depot will follow suit in the near future. As part of the transfer of management of the station, NBY will purchase 15,000 head of cattle from the ILSC.