Abstract

Common property (communal land) is often viewed negatively with some claiming that communal land ownership and the absence of private property rights more generally have been insurmountable barriers to Indigenous enterprise. This paper provides a brief overview of common property resources and explores how Aboriginal common property is being used by some Aboriginal groups to develop social enterprises that provide benefits to remote communities, the environment and wider Australia. It notes that while some conservation and philanthropic organisations recognise this and have begun to work with and invest in these enterprises, government support often remains risk averse.

Keywords: common property resources, Indigenous economic development, social enterprise, Warddeken Land Management Limited

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