The Aboriginal Land Council has claimed that the damaged Sydney to Hobart yacht that was recently found washed up on a beach in Tasmania now belongs to the local Indigenous community.
According to Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (ALCT) Chairman Michael Mansell, the yacht, called the Huntress, cannot be salvaged by the insurance company because “any vessels wrecked or washed up on the shores of Aboriginal land belongs to Aborigines.”
Mansell added that “permission is not given for the insurers to move the vessel Huntress until one third of its value is paid or the owners agree that Aborigines own the vessel.”
This claim is based on a longstanding Aboriginal law that holds that any ship wrecks or abandoned vessels that wash up on their shores belong to the Indigenous community.
Despite this, a spokeswoman for the Huntress confirmed that the yacht had been successfully removed from the beach on Monday.
