Resources and publications

The Canadian Human Rights Commission (the Commission) created this toolkit to offer assistance to First Nations governments that want to address discrimination complaints in their communities using a community-based dispute resolution process.

'Against native title' is about a divisive native title claim in the town of Ceduna where the claims process has thoroughly reorganised local Aboriginal identities over the course of the past decade. The central character in this story is senior Aboriginal woman Sue Haseldine, who, with her extended family, have experienced native title as an unwelcome imposition: something that has emanated from the state and out of which they gained only enemies. But this is not simply a tale of conflict. Threaded throughout is the story of a twice-yearly event called 'rockhole recovery'; trips that involve numerous days of four-wheel drive travel to a series of permanent water sources and Dreaming sites. Through rockhole recovery Sue Haseldine and her family continue to care for, and maintain connections to country, outside of the native title process.

This is a vivacious and very human story, which pursues a controversial and much neglected line of enquiry in which native title is not necessarily seen as a force for recognition and Indigenous empowerment.

To purchase this resource from the AIATSIS shop please follow this link. 

What processes are available to help Aboriginal people resolve their conflicts internally? What are the most common challenges implementing such a process? This report examines three dispute resolution processes and the differences between Indigenous and Western practices.

This paper discusses the purposes and form of the reports, their differentiation from the NNTT registration process, considerations anticipating litigation, confidentiality and potential conflicts of interest by the State as respondent.

The board of [Organisation] is committed to reaching a prompt and fair resolution of any disputes, conflicts, or disagreements that may arise from time to time, and that may threaten the functioning of the board.

This comprehensive review of the CATSI Act, built on a series of reviews undertaken in recent years. Responding to feedback from stakeholders for comprehensive consideration of the ongoing role of the CATSI Act, this review would consider whether the CATSI Act is achieving its objects, particularly as a special measure under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975.

This report details the findings from the survey available on the National Indigenous Australians Agency website for phase one of the CATSI Act review.

ORIC newsletter about CEO accountability. 

All of the statements in this document are about the best-practice processes and systems your organisation has for managing disputes and addressing complaints, grievances and appeals. Tick your level of agreement or disagreement with each and then note what priority it is for your organisation.

Advice for dealing with complaints.

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 looks at the dispute management processes within PBC constitutions, examining the use of NTRBs, independent mediation and elder’s councils to resolve disputes.

Managing disputes and the role of ORIC in resolving disputes.

The topic 'Disputes and complaints' from the Indigenous Governance Toolkit has eight sections,

1. Dealing with disputes and complaints
2. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous approaches
3. Core principles and skills for dispute and complaint resolution
4. Disputes and complaints about governance
5. Your members: dealing with disputes and complaints
6. Organisations: dealing with internal disputes and complaints
7. Practical guidelines and approaches
8. Case studies

ORIC policy statement explaining their role in resolving disputes involving corporations.

An guide to creating a board dispute resolution policy.

The healthy corporation checklist allows you to check your corporation’s compliance with the rule book and the law.

The checklist contains a list of questions to ask about your corporation. It also has links to important template documents and forms your corporation can use. Each question has a tickbox to record your corporation’s compliance, helping you to identify the areas that need attention.

The Indigenous Facilitation and Mediation Project (‘IFaMP’ or ‘the Project’), located in the Native Title Research Unit at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, commenced in July 2003 and completed its third and final year in June 2006. The Project supported best practice approaches to Indigenous decision-making and conflict management, particularly in relation to the Native Title Act 1993, which emphasises agreement-making through non-adversarial approaches, such as mediation, facilitation and negotiation. This final report of the AIATSIS Indigenous Facilitation and Mediation Project provides a detailed discussion of the project, its findings and best practice approaches.

Information about the roles and functions of PBCs under the CATSI Act, the Native Title Act and the PBC regulations.