About Native Title
Native title in Australia recognises the traditional rights and interests to land and waters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The non-discriminatory protection of native title is a recognised human right. The principles Commonwealth legislation in this area is the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth). At a Victorian level, the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 (Vic) provides for an alternative way of recognising traditional owner rights over land, through out-of-court settlement of native title. Native Title Services Victoria is the legal service in Victoria that represents native title claimants.
The LIV’s Administrative Law and Human Rights Section has a Reconciliation and Advancement Committee which works in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in order to raise awareness of issues of a legal nature that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The Committee also comment on proposals and reviews of a legal nature that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, organise forums and events, and support increased participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the legal profession.
Reconciliation and Advancement Committee
The Reconciliation and Advancement Sub-Committee (formerly the Indigenous Issues and Reconciliation Committee) is part of the Administrative Law & Human Rights Section and reports to the Section's Executive Committee.
The Reconciliation and Advancement Committee includes Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal lawyers from a variety of different backgrounds and organisations. The aims of the Committee are to work in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in order to:
- raise awareness among non-Aboriginal legal professionals about issues of a legal nature that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their history, culture and law
- comment on proposals and reviews of a legal nature that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
- facilitate discussion about issues of a legal nature that impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders by organising forums and events
- support increased participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the legal profession
- develop policies and programs that aim to make justice more accessible to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders contribute to the reconciliation process.
The Committee meets five times a year.
Co-Chairs: Sophie Brown and Tekan Cochrane
How to Join
To apply to join this Committee, please email alhr@liv.asn.au with your resume (redacting any personal information) and a brief statement of why you seek to join, and how you could assist the committee.
Your resume and statement will then be circulated to the existing committee members who then vote on all new applications. You will be advised of the outcome of your application, and if successful, be sent details of the meetings.
To be eligible to apply to join the Committee, you need to be an LIV member and a member of the Section. If you are an LIV member you can join the Section by simply updating your member profile. If you would like to get involved and are not an LIV member, please contact the membership team to join.
Resources
Aboriginal Victoria
An Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners can be done by anyone. It's a way of showing awareness of, and respect for the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the land where a meeting or event is held.
Victorian Legal Aid – Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
Community Legal Centres NSW – Cultural Safety
Law Society of New South Wales
National Pro Bono Resource Centre
Legal Aid Queensland