Native title lawyers from eight Native Title Representative Bodies and service providers (NTRBs) from across Australia gathered at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in February for two days of intensive discussions about native title law.
The event fills an important gap in professional development and networking opportunities for native title lawyers.
Participants included senior legal professionals from Central Desert Native Title Services, Central Land Council, South Australian Native Title Services, Kimberley Land Council, North Queensland Land Council, NTSCORP, Cape York Land Council, and the Northern Land Council.
Participants included senior legal professionals from eight Native Title Representative Bodies and service providers (NTRBs) from across Australia. Photo: AIATSIS
Organised by the AIATSIS Native Title Research Unit team led by Stacey Little, the workshop was facilitated by Dr Lisa Strelein, AIATSIS Executive Director of Research, and chaired and presented by participating lawyers who shared their knowledge and experience on a wide range of issues.
Topics covered included native title compensation, ethical considerations of regional claim authorisation, and the implications of recent Federal Court decisions. The program also featured a session on framing native title rights and interests by leading native title barrister Rob Blowes SC.
Participants were enthusiastic about the value of the workshop for maintaining a community of practice of native title lawyers. Workshops like these enable AIATSIS to support best practice and knowledge exchange across the native title sector, and inform the development of our research and communication activities.
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