Malu Lamar (Torres Strait Islander) Corporation RNTBC

The Malu Lamar (Torres Strait Islander) Corporation RNTBC administers land on behalf of the Torres Strait Islander claimants represented in the Torres Strait Regional Sea Claim determination of 2010.

The claimant group was able to demonstrate that they held native title rights over most of the waters of the Torres Strait under their traditional laws and customs. Non-exclusive rights were granted following an extended litigation between the parties. This is the first native title claim to consider the rights of international trade as the Torres Strait Treaty entered into between Australia and Papua New Guinea limits the native title rights that are able to be claimed in the Torres Strait surrounding seas. The key point of this determination is the recognition of commercial fishing rights granted to the claimants by the High Court on appeal.

On 7 August 2013, the High Court of Australia unanimously held that the native title rights of the Torres Strait Regional Seas Claim Group (the Seas Claim Group) to take fish and other aquatic life for any purpose, including trade or sale, had not been extuinguished by fisheries legislation.

This claim handles Part A of the original Torres Strait Regional Sea Claim with Part B to be determined at a later date.