Deed of Grant in Trust
Name of community Area ( km² ) Population Excised from Date granted Deed number
Badu Island 102.0 786 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296126
Bamaga 67.6 869 Shire of Torres 27 October 1986 21328057
Boigu Island 71.7 295 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296127
Cherbourg 31.3 1241 Shire of Murgon 28 August 1986 16929228
Dauan Island 3.6 120 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296130
Doomadgee 1786.0 1181 Shire of Burke 1987 50184313
Erub ( Darnley ) Island 5.9 320 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296129
Hammond Island 15.7 208 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296131
Hope Vale 1115.4 856 Shire of Cook 27 July 1986 21321062
Iama ( Yam ) Island 1.7 363 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296138
Injinoo 795.4 463 Shire of Cook 27 October 1986 21328058
Kowanyama 2571.9 1112 Shire of Carpentaria 23 July 1987 21345064
Kubin Island 152.5 226 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296132
Lockhart River 3596.9 605 Shire of Cook 29 October 1987 21352021
Mabuiag Island 6.4 240 Shire of Torres 17 October 1985 21296133
Mapoon 550.1 262 Shire of Cook 26 April 1989 ( none )
Napranum 2007.3 921 Shire of Cook 1 October 1989 21378037
New Mapoon 93.9 381 Shire of Torres 27 October 1986 21328060
Palm Island 71.0 2165 City of Townsville 27 October 1986 21328055
Pormpuraaw ( Edward River ) 4362.0 653 Shire of Carpentaria 28 July 1987 21345063
Communities
The following is a list of DOGIT communities in Queensland .
A Deed of Grant in Trust (or DOGIT) is the name for a system of community-level land trust established in Queensland to administer former reserves and missions. They came about through the enactment by the Queensland Government of the Community Services (Torres Strait) Act and Community Services (Aborigines) Act in 1984, allowing community councils to be created to own and administer former reserves or missions under a Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT). The trusts are governed by local representatives who are elected every three years to councils called Incorporated Aboriginal Councils. These councils have the power to pass by-laws, appoint police for the community, and are responsible for maintaining housing and infrastructure, running the Community Development Employment Program and issuing hunting, fishing and camping permits. As such, they work much like a local government, but are different in character as they own the land they administer on behalf of the community. Most of the Torres Strait Islands entered DOGIT arrangements in October 1985, with the notable exception of Mer Island, which became the subject of the Mabo No.1 (1988) and No.2 (1992) cases. The first Aboriginal community to receive a DOGIT was Hope Vale on 27 July 1986. In the years following, many DOGIT communities were established - mostly in the Cape York Peninsula, Torres Strait Islands and Carpentaria regions. The Local Government (Community Government Areas) Act 2004 extended to community councils many of the provisions and benefits of the Local Government Act 1993 normally enjoyed by shire councils.