Section 19 Leases and section 19A Township Leases are both mechanisms for granting rights to use Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act.
- Section 19 Leases are individual leases managed by the land councils.
- Section 19A Township Leases are over a whole Township and are managed by the Executive Director of Township Leasing.
Section 19 Leases
Section 19 of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act allows for government, businesses, organisations and individual people to apply to a land council for leases over specific areas of Aboriginal land.
When a Section 19 Lease is applied for, the land council consults with Traditional Owners and other affected Aboriginal groups and communities to make a decision on each lease proposal. The lease proposal must be approved by the Full Council of the land council, or by a delegated authority.
Section 19A Township Lease
Under a Township Lease, all land in the Township is managed by the Executive Director of Township Leasing.
A Township Lease provides a secure and regular land administration system for the entire Township area. The land in the Township is still Aboriginal land.
The Executive Director manages land on behalf of the Traditional Owners by issuing Subleases over individual Lots in the Township and by collecting rent.
The Executive Director makes decisions about land use with Traditional Owners through a Consultative Forum.
For more information, see our fact sheet 'How is a section 19A Township Lease different to a Section 19 Lease' | 
s19_leases_and_s19a_township_leasing.pdf