CATSI Amendment Regulations Exposure Draft

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the CATSI Amendment Regulations Exposure Draft. AIATSIS is Australia’s national institute dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledge, societies and cultures. We are both the custodian of Australia’s national collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage materials and one of Australia’s publicly funded research agencies. AIATSIS has legislative responsibility to provide leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research and provide advice to government on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage including native title, land and water management and Indigenous governance. AIATSIS is committed to ensuring Indigenous knowledges, cultures and governance structures are respected, valued and empowered by the laws and policies that concern them.

Since 2016, AIATSIS has contributed to a number of reviews of the CATSI Act including the Technical Review of the CATSI Act (2017), CATSI Review Phase 1 (2020), CATSI Review Phase 2 (2020) and the CATSI Amendment Bill (2021).