President

The Hon. John Dowsett AM

Location: Brisbane

The Honourable John Dowsett AM was appointed as President of the National Native Title Tribunal under section 110 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) on 27 April 2018.​

President Dowsett has a distinguished legal career. He first became a barrister in 1972, shortly after graduating from the University of Queensland with the the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Hons). He was appointed Queens Counsel in 1982 and appointed a Judge of the Queensland Supreme Court in 1985. President Dowsett was then appointed a Judge of the Federal Court in 1998.

On 11 June 2012, President Dowsett was named a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the law and to the judiciary, to professional associations and to legal education in the area of litigation and dispute resolution.

Member

Ms Nerida Cooley

Location: Brisbane

Ms Nerida Cooley was appointed as a Member of the National Native Title Tribunal under section 111 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) on 11 February 2019.

She has specialised in native title and cultural heritage law since 1995. During that time Ms Cooley has held senior legal and policy roles in government, including as Deputy Crown Solicitor of Queensland, and has also worked in private legal practice across various States and Territories. Ms Cooley has extensive experience in the mediation and negotiation of native title claims, indigenous land use agreements and right to negotiate matters, including the conduct of proceedings before the Tribunal.

Ms Cooley holds the degree of Bachelor of Laws from the Queensland Institute of Technology and was admitted to practice as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1990. She is an accredited mediator under the Australian National Mediator Standards.​​​​​

Member

Mr Glen Kelly

Location: Perth​

Mr Glen Kelly was appointed as a Member of the National Native Title Tribunal under section 111 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) on 2 March 2021.

Mr Kelly is a Noongar man from South West Western Australia. He has 25 years’ experience in the areas of Aboriginal affairs, native title, community and cultural development.

He has served as the CEO of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, CEO of the National Native Title Council, a Director of KPMG’s Indigenous Services, Chair of the WA Aboriginal Lands Trust, a Member of the Reconciliation Australia Board of Directors, Principal of Djilba Consulting and CEO of the Forum for Directors of Indigenous Organisations.​​​​

Member

Ms Lisa Eaton

Location: Perth

Ms Lisa Eaton was appointed as a Member of the National Native Title Tribunal under section 111 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) on 16 December 2022.

Ms Eaton holds a Bachelor of Laws and was admitted to practice as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2005. A highly experienced lawyer, her work has focussed on native title, administrative law and mediation across various States and Territories. Lisa was elected to membership of the Western Australia Bar Association in 2019, practising as an independent Barrister immediately prior to her appointment. Ms Eaton was also appointed by Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck as an inaugural Member of the National Sports Tribunal in 2020. 

Prior to these roles she worked at the National Native Title Tribunal, initially as the Principal Advisor, Practice and Legislation (2014-18) and then as acting Deputy Registrar (2018-19).