Evolving Native Title Services

Native title groups in the Pilbara and Yamatji regions of Western Australia have seen dramatic change over the last decade through the growth and decline of iron ore mining and the resulting intergenerational native title agreements. 

Traditional Owners are now moving forward to implement these complex agreements and are highly sophisticated of service delivery. 

To respond to these evolving needs, the Aboriginal Directors of Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation are exploring the next stages of service delivery to Traditional Owner groups.

This includes:

Safe and appropriate return of cultural research materials to Traditional Owners
Anthropological and legal expertise to assist with trust management
Governance assistance in the establishment of Aboriginal Corporations, including constitution and rule book design
Skills-audits to support employment and training opportunities
Environmental and biodiversity projects, including establishing Indigenous Protected Areas
Acting as a central point for regional approaches, connecting networks and advocacy.

These services are particularly important for groups who have agreements in place, but due to the delays in native title recognition, don’t yet have a Prescribed Body Corporate to manage their business. 

The evolution of land councils is critical to ensure the accountability, knowledge and understanding that has been built over the decades stays accessible to Traditional Owners as a not-for`-profit service.