GuriNgai Truth Telling
What is the difference between Traditional Custodians/Owners and Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALC)?
Traditional Custodians or Owners are the Traditional First Nations Peoples of the Land.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALC) are autonomous community organisations established under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1982 (ALRA) in NSW.
Members of LALCs are First Nations Peoples living within the regional boundaries of the LALC.
Traditional Custodians can be members of a LALC, but the LALC is not exclusively made up of Traditional Custodians.
LALCs boundaries often include or cross over a number of the Traditional Lands of Traditional Custodians and usually follow the boundaries of a Local Government Area (LGA).
What is a Confirmation of Aboriginality (COA)?
A ‘Confirmation of Aboriginality’ is an official document or letter that says a person is recognised as an Aboriginal person.
The Confirmation of Aboriginality states that the person:
Identifies as Aboriginal,
Is of Aboriginal descent, and
Is accepted by their local Aboriginal community.
A COA can be provided by an Aboriginal Corporation that is registered by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and be in the possession of a Legal Common Seal.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils in NSW do not issue Confirmations of Aboriginality.
Do GuriNgai people have Native Title on their Country?
GuriNgai people have been awarded Native Title Registration by the Native Title National Tribunal but it is undetermined but not declined due to lack of financial resources.
GuriNgai people have an Indigenous Land Use Agreement, or an ILUA, which was awarded in 2017.