Gutwein told us he will consider land return: Aboriginal community

An Aboriginal delegation met with Mr Gutwein in Launceston yesterday to discuss the matter of land hand-backs, among other issues.

The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre's Nala Mansell said those who were present at the meeting left feeling "pleasantly surprised with the response that we received from the Premier".

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"We are feeling really positive about [the Premier's] attitude today," she said on Friday.

"The Premier has committed to looking into Aboriginal land return and has agreed to meet with us within the next four weeks, once he's got some further advice on the areas of land that we've told him we'd like to see handed back."

Ms Mansell said the delegation explained to Mr Gutwein the significance to the Aboriginal community of the lagoons on Flinders Island, near Trousers Point, as well as wukalina / Mount William National Park in the state's North-East.

"Our people were exiled from their traditional homelands to the lagoons on Flinders Island, before they were then taken to Wybalenna," she said.

"Some of our ancestors died while they were at the lagoons on Flinders and are buried in unmarked graves on that land."

If Mr Gutwein was to return land to the Aboriginal community, he would be the first Tasmanian premier to do so since Paul Lennon in 2005.

When asked about the meeting, Mr Gutwein merely said he had had a "constructive conversation during which a range of matters were discussed".

"I look forward to further ongoing discussions," he said in a statement.

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