Native Title recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have rights and interests in land and waters according to their own traditional law and customs. It is governed by the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NTA), which provides the legal principles for this recognition.
Native title claims are made to the Federal Court for a determination or decision.
Central Desert performs all the functions and exercises all of the powers described in Part 11, Division 3 of the NTA (Statutory Functions):
- Facilitation and assistance;
- Agreement-making;
- Certification functions;
- Dispute resolution;
- Notification functions;
- Internal review; and
And other functions as conferred by the Act.
The Central Desert team will manage all aspects of a Native Title claim, be it for determination, compensation, agreement making and other assistance. This includes acting as legal representatives in the Federal Court, assisting and or managing the logistics for community meetings, and contracting specialist services as needed to progress native title and agreement compliance.
We also administer the Basic Support Funding Program for Prescribed Bodies Corporate on behalf of NIAA.
See our Client Services section for more information.
