Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority

The Authority is a twelve member board established under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act.

This Act is Northern Territory legislation pursuant to special powers given to the Territory under Commonwealth legislation to protect sacred sites in the Northern Territory.

The broad purpose of the Sacred Sites Act is to:

...effect a practical balance between the recognized need to preserve and enhance Aboriginal cultural tradition in relation to certain land in the Territory and the aspirations of the Aboriginal and all other peoples of the Territory for their economic, cultural and social advancement,...

Under the Act, this accommodation between sacred site protection and land use is achieved mainly by sacred site avoidance under Authority Certificates.