Women in Native Title: Native Title Report 2024

The Women in Native Title: Native Title Report 2024 Community Guide is published by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). It summarises a longer report by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, June Oscar AO. The guide examines how Australia's native title system affects First Nations women. Native title refers to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' rights to land and waters based on their traditional laws and customs.

The guide draws on surveys, written submissions and in-depth interviews with 24 First Nations women from across the country. It includes individual stories from women in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. These women held a range of roles, including as native title claimants, Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) directors and legal professionals. A PBC is a corporation that holds or manages native title rights on behalf of a group after a determination has been made.

The guide identifies four overarching themes from women's contributions: barriers to self-determination and governance, gender discrimination within the system, structural racism, and lack of access to justice. It also documents 13 more specific issues, including unpaid labour, conflicts of interest, the impact of legal and anthropological professionals, community conflict and trauma, and the absence of effective remedies when things go wrong.

The guide includes a glossary of native title terms, a visual overview of the report's methodology, summaries of each woman's story and the report's 29 recommendations. The recommendations cover legislative reform, funding, governance and the establishment of a First Nations-led reform council.

This resource is most relevant to First Nations community members, native title practitioners, lawyers, policymakers and anyone working in land justice, cultural heritage or First Nations rights in Australia.