Resources and publications
Title | Author /s | Summary | Date | Tag(s) | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Native Title Anthropology after the Timber Creek Decision | Pamela Faye McGrath | In August 2016, the traditional owners of Timber Creek in the Northern Territory, the Ngaliwurru and Nungali peoples, were awarded over $3.3 million for the loss of their native title rights. $1.3 million of this award was a solatium payment, that is, compensation for hurt arising from damage caused by the loss of connection to the land. Griffiths v Northern Territory of Australia (No 3) [2016] FCA 900 (Timber Creek), which was heard by Justice John Mansfield, is the courts first litigated award of compensation for the loss or impairment of native title rights. In making his decision, Justice Mansfield relied on the evidence of anthropologists when assessing not only connections to country, but also the qualities and consequences of the social impacts that accompany the loss of connections to country. This paper considers the implications of the Timber Creek decision for the work of native title anthropologists and highlights some of the conceptual and methodological shifts required for research on native title compensation claims. The author draws attention to the demanding nature of native title compensation cases and the potential for research to aggravate existing trauma associated with loss of country, arguing for the need for all involved to be attentive to this risk when pursuing future claims. Recommended citation: McGrath, PF 2017, Native Title Anthropology after the Timber Creek Decision, Land, Rights, Laws: Issues of Native Title series, vol. 6, no. 5, AIATSIS Research Publications, Canberra. |
Compensation, Legal, Native Title Act | Article / paper | |
Native Title Report 2005 | Australian Human Rights Commission | Under the Native Title Act 1993, the Social Justice Commissioner is required to prepare a Native Title Report each year for federal Parliament. Through these reports the Commissioner gives a human rights perspective on native title issues and advocates for practical co-existence between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in using land. |
Commercial development, Finance, Human rights, Legal, Native Title Act | Report | |
Native Title Report 2011 | Australian Human Rights Commission | Under the Native Title Act 1993, the Social Justice Commissioner is required to prepare a Native Title Report each year for federal Parliament. Through these reports the Commissioner gives a human rights perspective on native title issues and advocates for practical co-existence between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in using land. |
Land and sea management, Legal, Native Title Act | Report | |
PBC decision-making, certification and fees for service | National Indigenous Australians Agency | This Discussion Paper explains how native title decisions and decisions to make a compensation application are to be made by Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs) and explains the decision-making processes available to PBCs and common law holders. It also includes information on when PBCs can charge fees for their services. |
Decision making, Fee for service | Report | |
PBC decision-making, certification and fees for service discussion paper | CATSI Act, Compensation, Decision making, Exemptible rules, Fee for service, ILUA (Indigenous Land Use Agreement), Legal, Members, Native Title Act, Native title holder, PBC Regulations, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate), Rule book | Fact sheet | |||
PBCs Working in Two Worlds | Aurora | The first document sets out some background information about what a lawyer is and their duty to you as a client. The second document outlines some questions that you may like to ask a lawyer when you are seeking advice on native title matters. |
Governance, Government, Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous law, Legal, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Website | |
So, what’s new? Native Title Representative Bodies and Prescribed Bodies Corporate after Ward | David Ritter | This paper comments on some of the trends in Indigenous native title representation that have continued after the High Court's Ward decision. |
Land rights, Legal, Native Title Act, Water rights | Article / paper | |
Solid work you mob are doing: Case Studies in Indigenous Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management in Australia | National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council, AIATSIS, Community Justice Centres, Legal Aid, Northern Territory Government, State Government Victoria | The Indigenous Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management Case Study Project aims to provide evidence-based research and resources to support the development of more effective approaches to managing conflict involving Indigenous Australians. The objective of the Project is to deliver recognition and support for the solid work that is being carried out and to enable current practices to be refined and extended. Its conclusions are intended to support, consolidate and build on Indigenous knowledge and experience. They are not intended as a substitute for that knowledge and experience. |
Dispute management, Indigenous law, Legal | Report | |
Submission to the Productivity Commission inquiry into regulation of the marine fisheries and aquaculture sectors | The Productivity Commission’s inquiry into regulation of the Australian marine fisheries and aquaculture sectors sought to identify opportunities to improve fisheries regulations without compromising fishery policy and environmental objectives. The terms of reference included the extent to which fisheries management regimes align with and protect the interests of the wider community, including Indigenous fishing interests, and the extent to which fisheries management regimes support greater participation of Indigenous Australians, incentivise Indigenous communities to manage their fisheries, and incorporate traditional management practices. The AIATSIS submission responds to the Commission’s draft findings, providing advice on recognising Indigenous customary fishing as a sector in its own right, and recommending that Indigenous peoples are made active partners in the regulation and management of marine fisheries, rather than just being consulted. The submission notes that while any changes to the regulation of these sectors must be consistent with native title rights, customary fishing as a recognised sector should not be confined to Indigenous groups which have recognised native title. New regulatory definitions of customary fishing also do not necessarily need to exclude commercial fishing activities. Management of fisheries must be done in partnership with Indigenous peoples, and requires greater understanding of the diverse benefits that customary fishing brings to Indigenous communities, the historical processes which have led to the exclusion of Indigenous fishers, and the capacity of Indigenous land and sea management organisations to play a direct role in fisheries management with appropriate support. The submission also recommends greater regulatory support for increasing Indigenous participation in the commercial fishing sector, as a means of creating sustainable livelihoods for many Indigenous communities. |
AIATSIS, Fishing, Legal, Native Title Act, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate), Water rights | Policy statement | ||
Targeted recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people | Human Rights Commission | This guideline explains how targeted recruitment strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be consistent with discrimination laws. |
Employment, Legal | Guide | |
Taungurung Decision-Making Guide | Toni Bauman, Belinda Burbidge, Chris Marshall | Taungurung Land and Waters Council and AIATSIS collaboratively produced a decision-making guide for Taungurung people to use in governance. The guide contains practical information on:
The guide is of practical use for Taungurung Land and Waters Council in governance, assisting communication and engagement, inducting new board members, and managing disagreements about procedures and policies. It will also be of interest to other Indigenous corporations that are working on their own decision-making structures, processes and models, particularly native title Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs) and other traditional owner corporations. |
AIATSIS, Board, CEO, Chairperson, Decision making, Directors, Dispute management, Governance, Members, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Guide | |
The Satisfaction Triangle | Aurora | Outlines the 'satisfaction triangle'- a model for decision-making. |
Decision making, Meetings | Information Sheet | |
The two-way governance resources | Ninti One | The Two-way Governance Resource has been designed to support and promote two way learning and informed decision making (related to mainstream governance) in remote Aboriginal Communities in the Northern Territory. |
Community, Decision making, Governance | Presentation | |
Traditional decision making in native title - finding a pathway through the cultural, legal and administrative maze | Mr Graham Castledine, Mr Royce Evans, Elaine James | Since the commencement of the Native Title Act, traditional owners have been asked to negotiate and make important decisions concerning their native title. While the Act allows for and even encourages the use of traditional decision making, this is required to be blended with modern Western notions of corporate governance and meeting procedures. The recent decision of the Federal Court in McGlade has underlined some of the difficulties associated with the requirements of the Act for reaching decisions on important matters, and has raised questions about the proper roles of the registered native title claimants and the broader native title community. After native title has been determined, traditional owners must develop complex processes which accommodate longstanding cultural norms as well as the onerous requirements of the NTA and CATSI Act. If not handled maturely and sensitively, these processes can result in feelings of disempowerment and disengagement as well as causing or exacerbating intra-indigenous conflict. The paper will examine Court decisions which have highlighted problems with the cultural clashes which have resulted from the current system and also look at some innovative approaches which one PBC is developing in order to truly honour the cultural knowledge of the traditional owners. For access to Castledine, Evans & James' paper on the topic follow this link. |
Decision making, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Presentation | |
Valuing native title compensation after De Rose and Griffiths (No. 3) | Vance Hughston | Mr Hughston SC will discuss the approach taken by the Court in Griffiths v Northern Territory of Australia (No 3) [2016] FCA 900 (Timber Creek) to the assessment of compensation and in particular the division of the award of compensation into components of economic and non-economic loss. Mr Hughston SC will discuss the uncertainties associated with both components. |
Compensation, Future acts, Legal, Native Title Act, Past acts | Presentation | |
Voices of Our Success (executive overview) Sharing stories and analysis from the 2014 Indigenous Governance Awards | Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, Reconciliation Australia | The Indigenous Governance Awards celebrate success in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations nationwide. The awards provide a fantastic opportunity to gain insight into current innovation, practices and understanding of Indigenous governance. An analysis of the top ranked 2014 applicants’ governance solutions are presented in Voices of Our Success: Sharing stories and analysis from the 2014 Indigenous Governance Awards published by the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute and Reconciliation Australia. Here we share an overview of key findings. |
Decision making, Governance, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Report | |
Voices of Our Success (full report) Sharing the stories and analysis from the 2014 Indigenous Governance Awards | Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, Reconciliation Australia | The Indigenous Governance Awards celebrate success in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations nationwide. The awards provide a fantastic opportunity to gain insight into current innovation, practices and understanding of Indigenous governance. An analysis of the top ranked 2014 applicants’ governance solutions are presented in Voices of Our Success: Sharing stories and analysis from the 2014 Indigenous Governance Awards published by the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute and Reconciliation Australia. |
Decision making, Dispute management, Governance, Leadership | Report | |
Wearing two hats: The conflicting governance roles of native title corporations and community/shire councils in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities | Dr Tran Tran, Clair Stacey | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community governance can be greatly impacted by the nature of the land tenure held or managed by the community. The fragmented system of national and state regimes which provide grants or titles of land to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people has enabled a governance landscape where there are often overlapping rights to land. This creates a situation where relationships within an Indigenous community – and even within a traditional owner group – are competing for power and control. This is most notable with respect to how different community organisations compete for community funding, the durability of culturally appropriate governance structures and the taking of natural resources. The ability of an Indigenous community to resolve potential conflicts, created by the recognition of native title and adapt to the post-determination landscape also impacts upon a communities’ ability to respond to external pressures such as land use planning, water management and government initiated tenure reform processes. Often these conflicts appear between Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate and community or local shire councils – who have historically played the role of land manager and program administrator. This paper looks at the role of cultural governance in supporting the recognition of Indigenous landholdings and the reasons that Indigenous landholdings, in their current form, have failed to be effective in adequately mobilising economic, social and cultural resources to achieve social, cultural, environmental and health benefits in remote Indigenous communities in Western Australia and Queensland. |
Governance, ILUA (Indigenous Land Use Agreement), Joint Management, Legal, Native Title Act, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Article / paper | |
Webinar for socially isolated AGMs | Institute of Community Directors Australia | This presentation shows the general information on annual general meeting (AGM) in a time of social isolation. |
AGM (Annual General Meeting), Business, Meetings | Presentation |