Resources and publications

Summary of what information must be included in a rulebook for corporations registered under the CATSI Act.

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.

The following submission was made as part of the technical review of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act) 2006 (Cth) (CATSI Act).

In the submission we have supported further investigation of a dedicated chapter in the CATSI Act for RNTBCs (native title corporations) and our main recommendations include:

• Amendments to the CATSI Act to reduce the regulatory and reporting burden to ensure compliance is affordable and manageable
• Amendments to the CATSI Act that facilitate the incorporation of subsidiary corporations
• Increased special regulatory assistance for CATSI Corporations that promote compliance rather than punitive measures
• Specific tailored RNTBC corporate governance training
• Making the unique situation of native title corporations clear in a separate chapter of legislation
• Amendments to the laws around meetings and directors that better reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law and custom
• Providing culturally appropriate training, information support and resourcing is available for native title corporations
• Ensuring that native title corporations are accountable to the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander group but have enough discretion to manage the corporation

Overview of the rights and responsibilities for members in Indigenous corporations registered under the CATSI Act.

ORIC newsletter about CEO accountability. 

Advice for dealing with complaints.

Outlining the role of contact persons and secretaries for corporations registered under the CATSI Act.

This guide is designed to help corporation auditors and accountants (or bookkeepers) prepare reports

Factsheet about reporting requirements for Indigenous Corporations registered under the CATSI Act.

ORIC fact sheet about differences between the CATSI Act and the Corporations Act.

Managing disputes and the role of ORIC in resolving disputes.

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

Information about how individuals can be disqualified from managing corporations under the CATSI Act.

Outlining the roles and responsibilities of directors and officers for corporations under the CATSI Act.

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.

An emerging bibliography on free prior and informed consent, engagement and consultation.

A guide to the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act)

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.

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.

Steps to adopting the condensed rules under the CATSI Act