Resources and publications
Title | Author /s | Summary | Date | Tag(s) | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A corporation's rulebook: What you need to know | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | Summary of what information must be included in a rulebook for corporations registered under the CATSI Act. |
Constitutions, ORIC, Rule book | Information Sheet | |
A guide to writing good governance rules for PBCs and RNTBCs | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | This guide complements the Rule book info kit and is for prescribed bodies corporate (PBCs) and Registered Native title bodies corporate (RNTBCs) who have extra responsibilities under the Native Title Act 1993. It describes some of the important issues that need to be considered when writing rules for these types of corporations. It also suggests some specific rules. It is designed for PBCs, RNTBCs and groups intending to hold or manage native title. |
CATSI Act, Constitutions, ORIC, Rule book | Information Sheet | |
Analysing key characteristics in Indigenous corporate failure: Research Paper | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | This research paper aims to better understand factors that contribute to corporate failure in Indigenous corporations. |
NTRB (Native Title Representative Body), PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Report | |
APONT Independent Director Guide | Aboriginal Governance and Management Program (APONT) | Factsheet about having independent directors on the board. |
Directors, Independent directors | Information Sheet | |
Australian Institute of Company Directors | Australian Institute of Company Directors | The Australian Institute of Company Directors is committed to excellence in governance. They are involved in governance education, director development and advocacy. They have a membership of more than 40,000 including directors and senior leaders from business, government and the not-for-profit sectors. Their website contains a range of resources for directors as well as information about training courses. |
Directors, Governance | Website | |
Caring for country and sustainable Indigenous development: Opportunities, constraints and innovation | John Altman, Peter Whitehead | This paper explores how Indigenous community-based natural resource management can generate both conservation benefit and economic development opportunity. We begin by noting that much of the Indigenous estate in north Australia is either thinly populated or unpopulated. There is emerging evidence that, in situations where Indigenous people live on their country, ecological and wider benefits are generated via favourable fire regimes, control over weed infestations, and potentially through feral animal harvesting. When people are on country, they generate economic benefit for themselves by harvesting wildlife for consumption and engage with the market sector by using natural resources in commercial enterprise like arts and crafts production. We argue that there is a strong correlation between such activities and cost-effective natural resource management. Links between landcare, wildlife use and biodiversity conservation need to be recognized, celebrated and supported. The removal of many barriers to enhanced and innovative Indigenous participation in such activities, and equitable public support through programs like Landcare, will facilitate sustainable economic development options that are compatible with Indigenous priorities, while ameliorating Indigenous disadvantage. |
CAEPR, Caring for Country, Commercial development, Community development, Environment, Fire, Land and sea management | Article / paper | |
Central Land Council community development podcast series | David Martin; Centre for Native Title Anthropology | The Centre for Native Title Anthropology is giving attention to the role of anthropologists in the post-determination phase. It investigates the methodology and learnings of the CLC community development unit in working with groups and communities in managing income streams from their lands for wider benefit is of considerable potential interest to anthropologists. It offers an illustrative example of the intense, collaborative engagement that is necessary at this intersection of Aboriginal and wider value systems, where monies gained from activities on Aboriginal lands are invested into broader community benefit. For these reasons, there is much to learn which is relevant to the governance of compensation funds held in trust by PBC and other entities (such as those established under mining agreements with Aboriginal groups). The podcast series also investigates the ethical and political issues they all face as anthropologists working with Aboriginal groups on social change in a framework of self-determination. David Martin interviews Ian Sweeney, the Unit’s Manager, and four of the Project Officers, Dave Howard, Cecilia Tucker, Dianna Newham, and Carl O’Sullivan. |
Commercial development, Community, Community development, Education, Funding, NTRB (Native Title Representative Body) | Presentation | |
Constitutions Resource Centre | Native Nations Institute, University of Arizona | The Native Nations Institute’s web-based Constitutions Resource Center (CRC) brings together extensive research on Indigenous constitutions, examples of the constitutional changes that Native nations are making, and videos of Native leaders and other governance experts talking about constitutional change. The site provides Native nations with access to a comprehensive set of tools and Native nation examples that can be helpful in the process of constitutional reform. |
Constitutions, Governance | Website | |
Contested Governance: Culture, power and institutions in Indigenous Australia | Janet Hunt, Diane Smith, Stephanie Garling, Will Sanders (eds) | This collection of papers examines the dilemmas and challenges involved in the Indigenous struggle for the development and recognition of systems of governance that they recognise as both legitimate and effective. |
CAEPR, Governance, Indigenous knowledge, Leadership | Book | |
Decision-making: Constitutions of Prescribed Bodies Corporate | Ashleigh Blechynden | The Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) research snapshot series has been developed to share findings from the Native Title Research Unit’s (NTRU) investigation into the constitutions and financial reports of PBCs. This research forms part of the PBC Capability project which aims to develop a long-term national picture of the PBC sector. This snapshot examines the decision-making processes identified by PBCs within their constitutions including voting processes, quorum requirements and the use of independent directors. |
CATSI Act, Constitutions, Decision making, Native Title Act, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate), Rule book | Report | |
Duties of Directors and other Officers | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | Outlining the roles and responsibilities of directors and officers for corporations under the CATSI Act. |
Directors, ORIC | Information Sheet | |
Gender and generation in native title: Director demographics and the future of prescribed bodies corporate | Geoff Buchanan | While gender and age are often noted as being important dimensions of Indigenous leadership and governance, they have rarely been examined in detail. This paper focuses specifically on the gender and age of directors on the boards of prescribed bodies corporate (PBCs), the corporations established to hold and/or manage native title rights and interests. A predominant view persists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women as excluded or marginalised in native title. Statistical data for the year 2011–12 reveals, however, that women’s representation on PBC boards is higher than that found in mainstream sectors, while the literature reveals a complex picture of cultural, historical, demographic, institutional and intercultural factors that influence men’s and women’s participation and power in the native title arena. A key generational concern is the relatively low number of older people and the growing number of young people in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Viewed in relation to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and projected changes, the pool of potential PBC directors looks likely to grow in coming years. This paper argues that, as an increasingly significant sector, PBCs have the potential to both contribute to and benefit from the strengthening of community capacity but this potential will not be realised until the constraints on the capacity of PBCs to meet their statutory obligations and pursue native title holder aspirations are addressed. |
Directors, Leadership, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate), Youth | Article / paper | |
How to adopt condensed rules under the CATSI Act | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | Steps to adopting the condensed rules under the CATSI Act |
CATSI Act, Constitutions, ORIC, Rule book | Information Sheet | |
Independent director guide | Aboriginal Governance and Management Program | This guidebook provides information on how to select independent directors for the Aboriginal boardroom. |
Board, Directors, Members, ORIC | Guide | |
Independent Directory | ORIC | Independent Directory connects skilled and interested people looking to become an independent director with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations looking to appoint the right independent directors to their boards. It is a free service that allows: *Individuals to register an interest in being an independent director, identifying their experience and skills. *Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations to promote board vacancies. The service finds matches and allows candidates and corporations to initiate contact with each other. Candidates and corporations are in control of how much detail they reveal about themselves to the public and what they show only to their connections. |
Board, Directors, Independent directors, ORIC | Website | |
Indigenous Community Governance Project: Year Two Research Findings | J. Hunt and D.E Smith | This is the second research report by the Indigenous Community Governance Project (ICGP). The ICGP is exploring the nature of Indigenous community governance in Australia - to understand what works, what doesn’t work, and why. The first report, based on 2005 fieldwork, was published as CAEPR Working Paper No. 31/2006. This report brings together findings from the fieldwork conducted during 2006, based on evidence drawn from case studies of Indigenous governance in action within differing community, geographical, cultural and political settings across the nation. |
CAEPR, Governance | Report | |
Innovating to Succeed Forum | Aboriginal Governance and Management Program (APONT) | In 2017 the APONT Aboriginal Governance & Management Program facilitated a NT-wide forum for senior managers and board members of NT Aboriginal organisations, bringing them together to network and share stories to strengthen and build their capacity in management and governance. This report provides an overview of the presentations from this forum. |
Capacity building, Constitutions, Directors, Governance, Rule book, Staff | Report | |
Joint return of materials presentation | Brooke St James, Amy Usher, Leanne Evans, Royce Evans, Kelly Slattery | After 15 plus years of native title negotiations there was a lot research information held by the Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC) to be returned to the PBC Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation (RRKAC). YMAC had developed a best practice process for returning research materials. This presentation highlights this process, the experiences of the PBC and the lessons learned. |
Native title holder, Native title materials, NTRB (Native Title Representative Body), NTSP (Native Title Service Provider), PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Presentation | |
Legal issues in transferring research materials from NTRB/SPs to RNTBCs | Angus Frith | Native title materials created in the process of native title, land claim and cultural heritage work include individual statements, expert reports, genealogies, field notes and other materials. This paper addresses some of the legal issues arising in relation to the transfer of research material from NTRB/SPs to RNTBCs. |
Compliance, ICIP (Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property), Legal, Native title holder, Native title materials, NTRB (Native Title Representative Body), NTSP (Native Title Service Provider), PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Presentation | |
Let’s talk about success: exploring factors behind positive change in Aboriginal communities | Janet Hunt | This paper draws on interviews with leaders of successful Aboriginal organisations to understand the factors behind the successes that they are achieving in their communities. |
CAEPR, Community development, Making it work | Article / paper |