Resources and publications
Title | Author /s | Summary | Date | Tag(s) | Type |
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Authorisation and decision-making in native title | Nick Duff | Native title involves an interface between the Australian legal system and Indigenous legal, cultural and political systems. The assertion and management of native title rights involves collective action by sometimes large and disparate groups of Indigenous people. Contentious politics makes such collective action difficult and the courts will often be asked to decide whether group decisions have been validly made. In the last two decades a vast and complex body of law and practice has developed to address this challenge. Authorisation law is a set of principles about how the views and intentions of native title claimants or holders are translated into legally effective decisions. This book sets out the legal rules and their application in various situations: native title claims, native title agreement-making, decision-making by native title corporations, and compensation applications. It also addresses key practical, ethical and political dimensions of native title decision-making. This book will be useful for native title practitioners including lawyers, judges and native title holders. It will also be relevant to academic research into the ethical, political and anthropological dimensions of Indigenous governance. |
Decision making, ILUA (Indigenous Land Use Agreement), Native Title Act, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Book | |
Barni-Wardimantha Awara (Don’t Spoil the Country) – Yanyuwa Sea Country Plan | Dr John Bradley, Yanyuwa Families | The Yanyuwa people of the south-west Gulf of Carpentaria, have developed the Yanyuwa Sea Country Plan to explain the relationship between Yanyuwa people and our Sea Country; explain Yanyuwa people's concerns about current and future management of our Sea Country; set out objectives, strategies and actions to address Yanyuwa concerns and aspirations about sea country management; and propose options for working with government agencies, industry and other stakeholders to achieve our objectives, strategies and actions. |
Land and sea management, Land and water, Land rights, Water rights | Report | |
Board Code of Conduct | PBC website | This template can be used to establish a plain English Code of Conduct for board members or your general PBC staff. |
Board, CEO, Chairperson, Code of Conduct, Induduction, Secretary, Staff | Checklist | |
Building Indigenous community governance in Australia: Preliminary research findings | Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research | This is a preliminary research report from the first year of fieldwork conducted by the Indigenous Community Governance Project (ICGP). The Project is exploring the nature of Indigenous community governance in diverse contexts and locations across Australia through a series of diverse case studies—to understand what works, what doesn’t work, and why. A comparative analysis of the Project’s case studies is revealing that governance and decision-making in Indigenous community governance is shaped by multiple historical, cultural and political relationships. Family and governance histories associated with particular communities and sets of regionally-linked communities are central features in community governance dynamics and arrangements. Strengthening Indigenous community governance requires negotiating appropriate contemporary relationships among the different Indigenous people within a region or community, and adapting or creating structures and processes to reflect important relationships. Several dimensions are being identified as being fundamental to building stronger, sustainable governance at the community and regional levels. These are the impact of the wider ‘governance environment’, cultural match and cultural geography, modes of leadership and representation, institutional capacity, organisational design and relationships, representation, decision-making processes, and human resource issues. Capacity development for governance needs to be considered within a systems framework and should be a process that actively strengthens Indigenous decision-making and control over their core institutions, goals and identity, and that enhances cultural match and legitimacy. The report concludes with some emerging issues and implications for policy makers and for Indigenous organisations and their leaders. |
Capacity building, Community development, Decision making, Governance, Leadership, Partnerships | Report | |
Closed and open questions | Aurora | Explanation of closed and open questions. |
Decision making, Meetings | Information Sheet | |
Common types of decision making processes | Aurora | Outlines different methods of decision-making. |
Decision making, Meetings | Information Sheet | |
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 | |
Exercising native title rights and interests | Lisa Eaton | Traditional owners- native title claimants- native title holders- members of a prescribed body corporate. Who holds what native title rights? How can you exercise such rights? Post determination rights and interests are managed through a corporation governed by western laws and values. As is now well documented, this very structure required under the Native Title Act is often at odds with Indigenous decision making structures. This paper will begin to examine post determination issues surrounding the complex and layered network of native title ‘memberships’ and the parameters within which they must operate. There is often a fundamental misunderstanding as to how traditional rights and interests can be exercised and fully leveraged by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In order to effectively manage native title greater clarity is required. |
Decision making, NNTC (National Native Title Council) | Presentation | |
Governance Rules and Policies | Indigenous Governance Toolkit | The topic 'Rules and policies' from the Indigenous Governance Toolkit has six sections,
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Decision making, Governance, Meetings, Policies | Toolkit | |
Governing the Organisation | Indigenous Governance Toolkit | The topic 'Governing the Organisation' from the Indigenous Governance Toolkit has nine sections.
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Decision making, Governance, Leadership, Strategic planning | Information Sheet | |
Hunting, shooting, fishing: the content of native title rights and the right to take and use resources for commercial purposes | Elizabeth Harvey | The recognition of native title in the Mabo decision has led to consideration and debate in the media and the Australian community over the content and scope of native title rights for hunting, fishing and the taking and using of resources. This presentation will look at the content of these native title rights, and how they are understood and regulated, including the protections in section 211 of the Native Title Act, the effect of the decision in Yanner v Eaton (1999) 201 CLR 351, and how this interacts with other environmental management and threatened species legislation. It will then look forward to more recent recognition of commercial fishing and trading rights, as considered in Akiba on behalf of the Torres Strait Islanders of the Regional Seas Claim Group v Queensland (No 2) [2010] FCA 643 and Rrumburriya Borroloola Claim Group v Northern Territory of Australia [2016] FCA 776, how those rights can be demonstrated and their interaction with government regulation. |
Commercial development, Fishing, Hunting, Right to take | Presentation | |
Information for PBCs on changes to native title laws and obligations | CATSI Act, Decision making, Dispute management, Exemptible rules, Future acts, ILUA (Indigenous Land Use Agreement), Legal, Native Title Act, Native title holder, PBC Regulations, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate), Reporting | Fact sheet | |||
Kooyang Sea Country Plan | Members of the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust and Winda Mara Aboriginal Corporation | This Sea Country Plan is an important step in re-asserting our responsibilities for the management and protection of the natural resources of our country. |
Heritage, Land and sea management, Land and water, Land rights | Report | |
Kurtijar Land and Saltwater Country Plan | Kurtijar People, Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation | The Kurtijar Land and Saltwater Country Plan is a strategic document that provides a framework for our people and our partners to work together to care for all the natural and cultural values of our country, while providing a sustainable livelihood for our community and others with rights and interests in our land and saltwater country. |
Land and sea management, Land and water, Land rights | Report | |
Legal context for PBC decision making | Aurora | Information sheet about decision-making for PBCs. |
Decision making, Governance, Legal, Meetings, PBCs (Prescribed Body / Bodies Corporate) | Information Sheet | |
Making decisions | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | ORIC newsletter about making decisions. |
Decision making, Meetings, Members, ORIC | Newsletter | |
Native Title Report 2000 | 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. This report examines: human rights and native title
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Heritage, Land and sea management, Land rights, Native Title Act, Water rights | Report | |
Native Title Report 2006 | 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. |
Agreements, Commercial development, Finance, Funding, Land rights, Mining, Water rights | Report | |
Ngarrindjeri Nation Yaruwar-Ruwe Plan | Ngarrindjeri people, South Australia | A key purpose of the plan was to better educate government and nongovernment agencies, researchers and the wider Australian public on Ngarrindjeri connection to Country and their associated rights and obligations to Yarluwar-Ruwe. |
Culture, Land and sea management, Land and water, Land rights, Water rights | Report | |
ORACLE - Experience and Good Order | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | ORIC newsletter with advice about chairing meetings. |
Chairperson | Newsletter |