The plank in brief

This plank is about how we tell the truth about what happened here and repair it, without trading one set of absolute owners for another. A commonwealth land trust holds the land, for everyone living here now and everyone who comes after. People and communities hold secure use-rights to live, work, grow, build, protect, and belong. Existing titles don’t vanish. Freehold becomes a long-term renewable use-right, leaseholds renew, customary tenure is recognized and secured, and informal possession is regularized with support. What you build stays yours to sell, give, or leave to your children. Mortgages become security on your use-right and your improvements, not on the land. Land-value rent flows back to the public.

Truth comes before decisions. A cultural truth body keeps the archive, hears testimony, builds memorials, teaches the histories, and works at reconciliation. A land and habitation tribunal decides claims: return to a home, agricultural or commercial use, community access, revenue and compensation, restoring buildings, protecting sacred and ecological sites. Its decisions are transparent and can be appealed. Restitution isn’t one act. It can mean going home, getting back a farm or a business, sharing custody of a place, guaranteed access to water, movement, and holy sites, fair compensation where return isn’t possible, or new development next door that benefits everyone. Rights are layered: the public trust, the community and its culture, the use-right, and the buildings on top. We hold the land in trust, we tell the truth, we repair what was broken, and we leave a livable world.

Objections and replies

None posted yet. If you have a strong objection to this plank, send it to me. The strongest ones go up here with my reply.

Changes

• November 2026: first published here.