A company claiming to offer "symbolic" ownership over parts of Australian bush said it didn't intend to "give away" land to overseas residents in Oscars giftbags.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Guests attending this year's Oscars received one square metre of Queensland bush on "Envirocean Estate" in the Western Downs region.
The company offering these packages, Pieces of Australia, provides small plots of bush ranging from $79.95 to $199.95, with territory covering between one and ten square metres.
Pieces of Australia, the company of 29 year old Bondi business developer Niels Chaneliere, paid $4,000 to secure its spot in the Oscars swag bag that Forbes estimates is worth $190,000.
The company told ACM it intended the gifts to "promote awareness" of Australian environments and the "rich history of the land".
"We realise that there are some missteps that have been made in the process of doing so and as a new company we are actively making amends where necessary to improve this and apologise to any communities who feel that this was done inadequately or insensitively," it said.
![A hand from outside the frame holding an Oscar award. Picture via Canva. A hand from outside the frame holding an Oscar award. Picture via Canva.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/194363481/b9fa609d-81d5-456d-aac0-8bb53c0e23a1.png/r0_0_512_288_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Indigenous Carbon Industry Network, featured in advertising for the product, said it hadn't "granted permission for any of our information, publications or photos to be reproduced to support the Oscars 'Goodie Bag' or 'Pieces of Australia'".
The Indigenous Carbon Industry Network is an entirely Indigenous-owned charity from 23 Indigenous organisations across Australia.
The ICIN said in a statement it had no relationship with Niels Chaneliere and, to the best of its knowledge, had not been contacted by him.
"ICIN does not agree with its brand or the hard work of our members being linked to the 'Pieces of Australia' scheme," they said.
"We take our own commitments to the rights of Traditional Owners and Free, Prior and Informed Consent very seriously," ICIN said.
The A-listers were given a certificate of land licence, with the caveat that the land is a "symbolic souvenir" and owners cannot "take possession of the parcel; use the parcel; enter upon the parcel and/or the land without the licensor's express written consent".
IN OTHER NEWS:
The tiny land packages come with the promise that two trees will be planted to help Pieces of Australia fulfil its goal "to contribute to the preservation and protection of native and underdeveloped Australian land from being exploited".
But those trees will likely be planted in northern NSW by partner company ReForest, which has committed to planting 20 native trees each month for the project.
This gift comes after plots of titled Scottish land were included in the Oscars 2022 goodie bags, giving the owner a lord or lady title.