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 | |
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 | |
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 | |
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 | |
Ethics workshop | Chrissy Grant | An Ethics Workshop will be held for PBCs and Traditional Owners to be aware of best practice ethical research standards that should be used by researchers when working with Traditional Owners. The workshop will introduce you to the themes and principles outlined in AIATSIS’s Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies (GERAIS). Examples and case studies will help you understand how and why the GERAIS principles should be the minimum standards applied to any research on your land and sea country. There is a concern that the PBCs and Traditional Owners are not as familiar with ethical standards as the researchers are and how they should be applied to any research. This seems to be a one-sided conversation. GERAIS will educate and inform PBCs and TOs about ethical standards in research taking place across Indigenous estates – IPAs, Ranger work including compliance and enforcement issues, Indigenous engagement in Government processes and other research as well as Native Title and PBC research. It is so critically important that PBCs and TOs know what to expect from both the researcher and the participants so that they are well informed before they enter into a research agreement. |
Agreements, Ethics, NNTC (National Native Title Council) | Presentation | |
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 | |
Free prior and informed consent, engagement and consultation An emerging bibliography | Toni Bauman, Zeljko Jokic, Dr Christiane Keller, Lara Wiseman | An emerging bibliography on free prior and informed consent, engagement and consultation. |
Ethics, FPIC (Free Prior Informed Consent) | Report | |
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 | |
Guidelines for ethical research in Australian Indigenous studies | AIATSIS | This revised comprehensive review of AIATSIS sets the highest standards of ethics and support for human rights in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research. While the principles in the 2012 edition are largely retained, they have been reorganised into a new framework and augmented to reflect emerging standards and developments. |
AIATSIS, Capacity building, Data sovereignty, Ethics, Research | Guide | |
History and native title: The making of a community asset | Dr Michael Bennett, Grace Koch | This paper gives a brief description of what type of documentation is needed for a native title claim, what happens to the materials both during and after the claim process and how the research creates a valuable community asset. Finally, there is consideration of various options for the management of the historical material to give greater access and control to the indigenous communities in NSW. |
Community, Native title materials, Research | Article / paper | |
How to get into local and regional media | Media Trust | This guidebook provides general information on how to get into local and regional media. |
Community | Guide | |
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 | |||
Junyirri: A framework for planning community language projects | First Language Australia | Junyirri is intended to guide people in thinking about their current language situation, their aspirations for the use of language in their community, what assets their community has available, and the types of language programs that might be suitable for their situation. |
Community, Language | Article / paper | |
Language learning in Indigenous communities | Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation | This is the ANTaR Submission to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Inquiry into Language Learning in Indigenous Communities. Two years after the launch of the Federal Government’s strategy for preserving Indigenous languages, Indigenous Languages – A National Approach 2009, the Inquiry provides a valuable opportunity to assess the effectiveness of current Federal, State and Territory government policy in the area, and incumbent maintenance and revitalisation programs. |
Community, Language | Submission | |
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 | |
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 | |
Making decisions | Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations | ORIC newsletter about making decisions. |
Decision making, Meetings, Members, ORIC | Newsletter |