Major Projects
Prescribed Bodies Corporate
Project overview
This project will support the growing number of determined native
title holders, and their Prescribed Bodies Corporates (also known as
registered native title bodies corporate), to hold and
manage their traditional lands and waters, through research and
participatory planning to support capacity-building in effective
decision making and conflict resolution processes/frameworks,
negotiation skills, agreement making, strategic planning and
governance.
The project will develop a better understanding of challenges
facing native title holder communities post determination and
suggest practical approaches that assist these communities to hold
and manage their traditional lands and waters.
Project partners
Agreements,
Treaties & Negotiated Settlements Project (Melbourne
University): ARC linkage grant examining the ‘The Implementation of
Agreements and Treaties with Indigenous Peoples from Postcolonial
States’.
Office of the
Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
(ORIC): in-kind partnership will include the production of PBC
specific materials and guides in relation to the transition to the
new legislative regime of the Corporations Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Act 2006 (Cth). See:
Minerals
Council of Australia (MCA): providing funding for expert
consultants, additional travel and materials for case intensive
studies of prescribed bodies corporate.
PBC Case Studies
The NTRU is entering into a number of action
based research partnerships with PBCs across Australia to provide
assistance to PBCs and develop case study reports. The partnerships
will facilitate research into the challenges and opportunities that
currently face PBCs in a range of situations.
Research Protocol
The NTRU is committed to the principles of
ethical research, as developed in the
AIATSIS Guidelines for Ethical Research. The research protocols
and approaches of the PBC project have been formally approved by the
AIATSIS Ethics Committee. The relevant documents are:
Current PBC Case Studies
Torres Straits
Lisa Strelein, Director of Research Programs
and Toni Bauman, Research Fellow assisted the Native Title
Office of the Torres Strait Regional Authority in facilitating and
planning two workshops of PBCs in the Torres Straits in December
2007 and April/May 2008.
Djabugay
Research Fellow Toni Bauman is working
with the Djabugay north of Cairns in and around Kuranda. In April
2008 Ms Bauman undertook fieldwork with the Djabugay providing assistance in a range of areas including:
establishing the Djabugay office, preparing funding submissions,
attending governing committee meetings and assisting the Djabugay in
responding to a draft plan of management for the Barron Gorge
National Park. Ms Bauman assisted Djabugay representatives Mr Gerald
Hobbler and Ms Rhonda Brim with a presentation to the Native Title
Conference 2008.
Karajarri
Research Fellow Jessica Weir is
working with Karajarri native title holders and their PBC the
Karajarri Traditional Lands Association (KTLA). Karajarri country is in
the West Kimberley, south of Broome. The Karajarri have native
title over 31,000 square kilometres of their country, as recognised
by consent determinations in 2002 and 2004. As part of the research
action partnership, Dr Weir is providing the KTLA assistance with
their PBC, including re-organising the KTLA office, preparing
funding submissions, and developing planning tools.
RNTBC Profiles
The NTRU has created profiles of all
Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate (RNTBCs) in Australia.[1]
These profiles contain descriptions of each organisation recognised
as an RNTBC as well as the determinations and Indigenous Land Use
Agreements (ILUAs) they administer. To access the profiles that are
currently available please visit out
RNTBC
Profiles page.
Workshops
NTRBs and PBCs: Current Policy and Practice Workshop for NTRB
Staff
This workshop was held on 5-6 December 2006 in Canberra, and was
attended by 25 staff from Native Title
Representative Bodies who have been or will be involved in
the design and establishment of PBCs. Participants also included
government representatives from the Department of Families,
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Attorney General’s
Department who gave presentations on the proposed changes to PBCs as
a part of the Australian Government’s broader native title reforms.
A report has been prepared based on the major issues that arose
during the workshop. In particular, the report focuses on measures
to improve the effectiveness of PBCs and coincides with the
Government’s recognition of the need for resources and support for
PBCs to adequately carry out their functions.
Download workshop report:
Native Title Representative Bodies
and Prescribed Bodies Corporate: native title in a post
determination environment - PDF
format
National Workshop for Prescribed Bodies Corporate
This workshop was held on 11-13 April 2007 in Canberra, and was
attended by 23 people representing PBCs from Western Australia,
Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, and the Northern Territory.
The meeting provided the PBCs with a much needed networking
opportunity, and time to reflect on their particular challenges,
aspirations and achievements. Various federal government
departments were invited to present on the recent Commonwealth PBC
reforms, and give advice about relevant funding and training
opportunities for PBCs.
Download issues and outcomes:
Issues papers
NTRU Research Fellow Dr Jessica Weir has published an
issues paper on the current operating context for PBCs. The paper
outlines the potential role of PBCs in the post determination
landscape. It considers the importance of PBCs as a new form of
Indigenous governance and how this interrelates with the recent
Federal Government reforms and policy recommendations that are
designed to support more efficient PBCs.
Weir J. 2007 ‘Native
title and Governance: the emerging corporate sector prescribed for
native title holders’, Land, Rights, Laws: Issues of Native Title,
3(9):1-16. Native Title Research Unit, Australian Institute of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (pdf format).
The Native Title Research Unit's Issues Paper series
Land, Rights, Laws:
Issues of Native Title includes other papers relating to
PBCs, refer to Issues Papers in the Publications
section of this website.
Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate
Summary (Research Resource Page)
The Native Title Research Unit maintains a Registered Native
Title Bodies Corporate (RNTBCs) Summary as a research resource page.
This document is regularly updated and provides a national summary
of RNTBCs including hyperlinks to:
Download
RNTBC Research Resource Page:
National Overview of Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate
The NTRU has compiled information about
registered native title bodies corporate (or prescribed bodies
corporate) as at 31 March 2008 to provide a national overview
of claimant determinations recognising native title and the
corporations arising from these determinations. The national
overview includes hyperlinks providing access to:
This document includes a list of claimant determinations
recognising native title, information about these determinations, a
list of RNTBCs and information about these organisations.
Download national overview:
For an up to date listing of RNTBCs refer to the Native Title
Research Unit's RNTBC
Summary Research Resource Page.
Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate National Toolkit
The NTRU has compiled the Registered
Native Title Bodies Corporate National Toolkit in response to needs
expressed by native title holders for better access to information
and resources that may assist them in exercising their native title
rights and interests. The toolkit provides information and access to
resources about:
- establishing a RNTBC, including
accessing assistance from the Office of the Registrar of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations;
- potential Australian Government and other funding sources
(including a quick reference funding guide sorted by subject);
- accessing training;
- Australian Government and other national or
multi-jurisdictional networks, programs and organisations that may
be useful to RNTBCs; and
- links to relevant legislation, organisations and publications.
Download toolkit:
The NTRU welcomes feedback from users of the
toolkit and would be keen to hear from organisations that may have
programs or services of relevance to RNTBCs, please contact us on 02
6246 1161 or email ntru@aiatsis.gov.au.
Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate State & Territory
Toolkits
The Native Title Research Unit has compiled
State and Territory Toolkits. These toolkits provide state and
territory specific information about:
- claimant determinations recognising native title;
- registered native title bodies corporate;
- potential state or territory funding sources;
- state or territory training providers;
- networks, organisations and programs operating in the state or
territory that may be useful to RNTBCs; and
- links to relevant legislation, organisations and publications.
The NTRU welcomes feedback from users of these
toolkits and would be keen to hear from organisations that may have
programs or services of relevance to RNTBCs, please contact us on 02
6246 1161 or email ntru@aiatsis.gov.au.
Download toolkits:
Submissions to FaHCSIA review of draft Guidelines for Support of
Prescribed Bodies Corporate
On 27 October 2006, the Attorney-General and the Minister for Families,
Community Services and Indigenous Affairs released the report arising from
the review of
measures to encourage the effective functioning of Prescribed Bodies
Corporate (PBCs):
Report to Government - Structures and Processes of Prescribed Bodies Corporate. The
Government announced that it would implement all the recommendations in this Report
and subsequently released draft 'Guidelines for Support of
Prescribed Bodies Corporate' for comment.
The Native Title Research Unit compiled a Summary of responses
arising from NTRU PBC workshops relating to the draft guidelines.
The Cape York Land Council's submission to FaHCSIA is also available.
Download submissions:
FaHCSIA Guidelines for Support of
Prescribed Bodies Corporate
FaHCSIA is seeking submissions from
native title representative bodies (NTRB) and native title service
providers (NTSP) for PBC funding a by 27 October 2007. PBCs
wishing to submit a bid for funding support should contact their
NTRB/NTSP as soon as possible.
Download FaHCSIA Guidelines for Support of Prescribed Bodies
Corporate:
Subscribe to PBC Project Mailing List
If you would like to receive updates on this project and email
alerts about new or updated PBC related resources and publications
and PBC related workshops or events please provide your contact
details to the NTRU either by email
ntru@aiatsis.gov.au or telephone 02 6246 1161.
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