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The National Native Title Tribunal today invited indigenous people in the Mid West and Gascoyne region to take part in forthcoming briefing sessions on the detail of major changes to Federal native title laws which took effect on 30 September this year.
Tribunal Regional Co-ordinator Lillian Maher said briefings would be held in Geraldton, Mullewa, Shark Bay, Mount Magnet and Carnarvon over the next few weeks to set out the rights and obligations of native title applicants under the new laws.
She said the briefings for the indigenous people were the first in the region of the many information sessions being held by the Tribunal throughout Australia with indigenous people, peak bodies, pastoralists, miners, local authorities and other groups.
"One of the most significant changes to native title laws is the introduction of a new, stringent registration test to decide which native title applications are of sufficient merit to be entitled to have a say over mining, exploration and some other developments on land subject to the native title application," she said.
"This test will be applied retrospectively to most existing native title applications over the next several months, so it is important that native title applicants in the Gascoyne and Mid West regions come to grips with what's expected of them."
Ms Maher said native title applicants would have to satisfy several important conditions to retain or attract the so called 'right to negotiate'. These included:
- demonstrating that the application was lodged with the authority of the group or clan from whom the native title rights were derived;
- showing evidence of continuous association with the land; and
- ensuring that none of the applicants had been involved in another application which had already passed the registration test.
Indigenous people interested in attending the information sessions were urged to call the Tribunal on 1800 640 501 (freecall) or the Yamatji Land and Sea Council on 0899 645 645 for dates and venues.
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