Mining exploration surges in Cape York as scheme to return land to traditional owners stalls

No new properties have been purchased under the Queensland government program since 2017, a report finds

Cape York Indigenous groups have warned that a successful Queensland government program to return land to traditional owners is on the verge of stalling, potentially leaving large and significant swathes of the peninsula at the mercy of mining speculators.

The Cape York land tenure resolution program has returned more than 4m hectares of land to traditional owner groups since 2007, including about 2m hectares that is designated as national park.