The Northern Australia Committee is holding a public hearings in Katherine and will hear evidence from Land Councils, Native Title holders, Indigenous business leaders, local councils and other stakeholders.

In Katherine, those listed to appear before the inquiry include the Jawoyn Association, NT Cattlemen's Association, Roper Gulf Regional Council Centrefarm/ALSEDA and NARMCO.

The hearing will be held at Roper Gulf's Crawford Street offices on Wednesday from 9.30am and is open to the public.

Committee chair Warren Entsch says with almost half of the Territory's land mass and 80% of its coastline granted as Aboriginal freehold, the NT is potentially a land of opportunity for Indigenous Australians-the key is finding a way to engage Indigenous people in exploring the opportunities their lands provide.

In its submission, the Northern Territory Government notes that "approximately 30 per cent of the NT's population is Aboriginal", and that "Aboriginal Territorians own or have rights and interests in a substantial portion of the Territory's land mass and a large majority of its coastline. This made 'Aboriginal Territorians key drivers and partners in the NT's economic future".

The hearings will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

The inquiry commenced in the last Parliament, and was suspended during the election period.

To date, the committee has received 35 submissions and held four public hearings.

Senator Sam McMahon and Lingiari MP Warren Snowdon are both members of this committee.

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