Join the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council
Membership of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council is open to all Noongar people of 18 years and over, and it is free to join.
Membership applications will be processed at the next meeting of the membership committee who will then inform you if your application has been accepted.
If you have a membership enquiry, please email the team at membership@noongar.org.au.
Please note: SWALSC membership does not automatically include membership to your regional corporation. You will need to apply for membership of your regional corporation separately.
SWALSC Rule Book
By applying for membership of SWALSC you agree to be bound by these rules.
In particular, rule 5.5.2 which defines members’ responsibilities:
“Each member has the following responsibilities:
(a) to comply with the CATSI Act and this Rule Book;
(b) to notify the Corporation of any change in their address within 28 days;
(c) to comply with any code of conduct adopted by the corporation;
(d) to treat other members, staff, directors, and the members of the Noongar Corporations Committee, with respect and dignity; and
(e) to not behave in a way that significantly interferes with the operation of the corporation or of directors’ meetings or general meetings.”
Frequently asked questions
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Upon request, the CSC/SWALSC assists with the administration of processing pending membership applications (for example, maintaining the Regional Corporation’s membership database, preparing information for the membership sub-committee, corresponding with membership applicants).
The Regional Corporation requests the CSC/SWALSC research unit to consider the family history information provided on a Regional Corporation membership application form and the CSC/SWALSC Research Unit provides a recommendation to the Regional Corporation (Board) in regards to an applicant’s descent from an apical ancestor of a particular Agreement Group.
If required, the CSC/SWALSC research unit conducts further research into an applicant’s family history for the purpose of verifying whether the applicant is a member of the agreement group (Rule Books, Membership of the Corporation, 5.2.2 (a)).
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In order for SWALSC to fulfill its functions (as a Native Title Representative Body to settle Noongar native title claims in the past, and currently as a Central Service Corporation to continue to support the Noongar Community and the six regional (Noongar) Aboriginal Corporations), the collection, storage, and use of family history information is required.
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The data is stored on a highly secure separate server with limited access through software that is not cloud based, only accessed through computers that the software is loaded onto, used by CSC/SWALSC research and heritage staff.
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CSC/SWALSC research and heritage staff have access to the CSC/SWALSC genealogical database.
Only SWALSC research staff are permitted to edit the genealogical database.
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SWALSC does not own the data collected and stored in the genealogical database. SWALSC seeks consent from donors of materials, such as the SWALSC Client Family History Form.
SWALSC also obtained research materials through the Native Title Access Policy from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (former Department of Aboriginal Affairs) in its role as a Native Title Representative Body (later Native Title Service Provider).
SWALSC owns the Intellectual Property (IP) of the materials it creates.
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The information and genealogical data collected by CSC/SWALSC is used for:
Preparing genealogies on request by Noongar community members
Serving as a repository for a vast collection of family history information
Determining descent from particular individuals in the past
Creating reports listing people associated with particular locations
Creating individual reports listing the incidents of significant events
Determining the ancestry of individuals within contemporary agreement groups.
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By completing and submitting a SWALSC Client Family History Form, SWALSC will provide you with a (hard) copy of your family tree and additional research summary information on your earliest ancestors in your family.
This will be based on SWALSC research at the date of your application.
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You can contact the SWALSC research unit on 08 9358 7400 to discuss research findings, or to make an appointment with one of our researchers.