Brian Wyatt Memorial Lecture

Mr Brian Wyatt was a stalwart of Native Title and Indigenous Land Rights.  Active for decades from local through to the international level, Brian worked incredibly hard to break barriers, create opportunities and champion for the rights of his mob.  In his role as the CEO of the NNTC, Mr Wyatt was also responsible for forging relationships with some unlikely players and push against boundaries that needed to be overcome - these efforts continue to bear fruit across Australia.  As his successor, Mr Wyatt's legacy is something that’s very difficult to live up to, however it is a privilege to be able to follow on from him and to deliver a lecture to commemorate and to honour him and his contribution.

One thing that’s clear is that a lot has changed over the last few years in native title.  New issues are emerging, new opportunities are arising and new threats to the rights of traditional owners are becoming evident.  But just the same as Mr Wyatt did, we need to meet these things head on.  This address will examine some of these issues, how the NNTC is responding and what the upcoming agenda to address them is.