The Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council (ILALC) is an innovative not-for-profit that upholds and enacts our Community's custodial responsibility for the protection and preservation of our Country, our cultural heritage, and our knowledges and traditions while respectfully promoting and securing our stewardship of these. MANAGING OUR COUNTRY Protecting, conserving and restoring our natural environments, ecosystems, and cultural heritage sites through culturally appropriate management. PRESERVING OUR CULTURE Promoting a shared understanding of our heritage and culture through delivering education on, and connected to our Country. SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY Delivering community-led projects that protect the interests and further the aspirations of our members and the broader Aboriginal community in their relationship to Country. Formed under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 that empowers Land Councils to claim ownership of Crown Land. Land Councils are not funded by Governments. We receive a small annual grant from the NSW Aboriginal Land Council but sustain our operations through our own revenue streams. Land ownership enables us to enact our Community’s custodial responsibility for the protection and preservation of our Country and our knowledges and traditions while respectfully promoting and securing our stewardship of these. Through culturally appropriate land management we protect, conserve and restore our natural environments and cultural heritage sites; through our research and education programs we promote a shared understanding of our heritage and culture; and through sustainable development initiatives we partner with Community to deliver strength-based community-led projects to further the aspirations of our members and the broader Aboriginal community in their relationship to Country. Our organisation operates across the Local Government Areas of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Wingecarribee, and parts of Shoalhaven and Goulbernmaluaree.