In 1983, an Inquiry into Aboriginal land rights was commissioned by the Hon. K. Wilson MLA, Minister with Special Responsibility for Aboriginal Affairs. The Aboriginal Land Inquiry was led by Paul Seaman QC.

The Terms of Reference for the Inquiry were stated as:

1. Specifically the Inquiry shall consider the most appropriate form of title over land reserved for the use and benefit of Aborigines or leased for Aboriginal Communities;
2. In addition, the Inquiry shall consider the question of what kinds of Aboriginal relationships to land should be protected and the ways in which to satisfy the reasonable aspirations of Aboriginal people to rights in relation to land;
3. The Inquiry will make recommendations about the terms and conditions upon which such land should be granted and by which body or bodies the title should be held;
4. The Inquiry will consider the extent to which waters adjacent to granted lands should be protected for the use of Aboriginal people;
5. The Inquiry will consider the relationship of granted areas to resource development projects and in particular the question of compensation and royalties;
6. The Inquiry will review the operation of the Aboriginal Heritage Act in order to make recommendations about the most appropriate way of protecting sites of significance to Aboriginal people;
7. The Inquiry is to consider the question of resource exploration and development and to make recommendations on ways of accommodating the legitimate concerns of Aboriginal people about land and the social impact of development; and
8. The Inquiry is to examine the question of the future implementation of the Environmental Protection Authority's recommendations for Conservation Reserves to ensure that adequate safeguards exist in the consideration of possible conflicting Aboriginal interests.

The Inquiry received 233 written submissions and travelled across Western Australia to conduct hearings on 120 separate days. Commissioner Seaman and his staff met with 2,200 Aboriginal people and about 500 non-Aboriginal people at the hearings.

Commissioner Seaman handed his report to government on 17 September 1984.

(For the published report see: "The Aboriginal Land Inquiry Report", Paul Seaman QC, September 1984).