Call for members of the SWALSC Heritage Consultant Selection Panel (HCSP)

Background

The South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council Aboriginal Corporation (SWALSC) has obligations under the Noongar Standard Heritage Agreement (NSHA), Noongar Alternative Heritage Agreement (NAHA) and various hybrid heritage protection agreements (HPA) entered into by SWALSC, for and on behalf of the Native Title Claimant Groups/Native Title Agreement Groups, and various proponents to assess and assist with the proponents’ heritage survey requirements.

Committee

The Heritage Consultant Selection Panel (HCSP) is a credible, respected decision-making body that will, from time to time, convene to assess proponents’ heritage survey requests (Activities) and to select Noongar persons with appropriate connection and cultural knowledge of the areas to be surveyed, to serve as Heritage Consultants. Decisions by the HCSP will be founded on cultural knowledge held by those serving on the HCSP and will be exercised in a manner that fosters respect and credibility for the decision-making process whilst ensuring the ongoing preservation and integrity of Noongar culture and heritage.

Committee Composition

The HCSP is comprised of Noongar community Elders/knowledge holders from each of the six Native Title Agreement Groups. A gender balance has been applied to the make-up of the HCSP. Members of the same family cannot serve on the HCSP at the same time (for example, mother and son, brother and sister, husband and wife etc.)

Role and responsibilities of members on the HCSP

Members serving on the HCSP are expected to consider information on the proposed activity, research advice from SWALSC, and other relevant information and to nominate appropriate knowledge holders to attend a survey. Furthermore, HCSP Members must be capable of working as a team. 

Membership requirements

To be eligible to serve as a member of the HCSP, the Noongar person must:

• be recognised as a Noongar community Elder/knowledge holder and well respected by the Noongar people;

• hold the necessary cultural authority;

• hold cultural knowledge of Noongar heritage sites and places across Noongar Country; and

• identify Noongar people who have the knowledge of specific areas of Noongar Country and who can speak for country.

Remuneration

Cultural Consultants attending a HCSP meeting will be paid a daily consultation fee of $526.78 including superannuation. In addition, lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day. 

Time commitment and Term

The HCSP will convene not less than 12 times per year. Depending on demand for heritage surveys to be undertaken across the six Claim/ILUA Agreement Areas, additional HCSP meetings may be scheduled.

HCSP meetings will be held at the SWALSC offices or such other venue as advised from time to time. Cultural Consultants also have the option to join the HCSP meetings online.

The term of appointment is for a period of up to one year. The establishment of the Noongar Corporations may lead to a change/shortening of the duration of a term. Community Elders/knowledge holders serving as HCSP members will, for the duration of their tenure, not be eligible for selection as Heritage Consultants on surveys in respect of any Activities being attended to by the HCSP.

Expression of Interest (EOI)

The HCSP will be constituted through the calling for expression of interest from Noongar persons to serve as a HCSP member.

All EOIs received on or before the specified closing date will be assessed against the Membership Requirements by a SWALSC sub-committee following which the sub-committee will nominate for appointment an additional community Elders/knowledge holder for the South West Boojarah and the Yued Native Title Agreement Groups.

The selected community Elders/knowledge holders will be invited to either accept or decline their nominations.

How to apply

Applicants should fill out the EOI Form and provide SWALSC with a brief statement explaining why they believe they would be suitable to serve as a Member on the HCSP. Please return the EOI form:

By email:          reception@noongar.org.au

By mail:             PO BOX 6383 | EAST PERTH WA 6892

By hand:           Level 2, 100 Royal Street | EAST PERTH WA 6004

If you have any further questions, please contact SWALSC on 9358 7400.

Closing Date

The closing date for expressions of interest is Monday, 7 February 2022.

Reminder: regional corporation nominations close 28 January

A reminder to members of Ballardong, GKB, Whadjuk and Wagyl Kaip regional corporations that nominations for the boards and cultural advice committees will close next Friday, 28 January. Click here for more information on how to nominate, or contact SWALSC if you have any questions.

Notice of nomination period for new regional corporations

The first round of membership applications for Ballardong, Kada-Moda Maambakoort, Wagyl Kaip and Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporations have now been processed, and nominations will open for the board of directors and cultural advice committee. You may apply for both positions, however, you can only serve in one of them if successful. Please read the descriptions below to help you decide which role will best suit you.

A mailout to new members of the four corporations will arrive in the next week. Yued and SWB will announce their nomination dates in the coming weeks.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

If your interests, skills and experience include strategic planning, corporate management, finance, compliance, risk management, education & training or economic development, you may consider nominating for the board.

Nominations will open on 24 December 2021, and interested candidates must submit their completed Nominations Pack to the Returning Officer by post or email until 12 noon on Friday, 28 January 2022.  

By post: PO BOX 761 MT LAWLEY WA 6929
By email shawn@boyleandassociates.com.au

Candidates must contact the independent Returning Officer in order to receive a nominations pack. This pack will contain all the required information which the candidate needs to complete to be eligible for nomination.

National Police Certificate (NPC):

Candidate nominations must include an acceptable NPC which is no more than 12 months old at the time of close of nominations. Acceptable NPCs are issued by the WA Police (or other applicable state police) and can take 2-3 weeks from application. 

Application forms for an NPC can be obtained from Australia Post outlet, OR online at WA Police or Australia Post.

CULTURAL ADVICE COMMITTEE

If your interests, skills and experience are related to culture, community development, heritage protection, and identifying cultural lands suitable for selection under the Settlement, you may consider nominating for the cultural advice committee.

Each regional corporation will be expected to support and promote the work of their cultural advice committee, and be guided by them when making decisions about country and culture.

Nominations for the cultural advice committee are now open, and will close on Friday, 28 January 2022. The initial directors will assess the eligibility of nominees, and if there are more than the required number, a ballot will be held at the first general meeting. 

If you have further questions about the cultural advice committee, call SWALSC on 9358 7400 or email regionalcorporations@noongar.org.au.  

Nominations sought for Tronox Relationship Committee & Iluka Implementation Committee

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST- TRONOX RELATIONSHIP COMMITTEE & ILUKA IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE 

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are sought from women Yued community members to sit on the Tronox Relationship Committee & the Iluka Implementation Committee 

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: COB Wednesday, 29 December 2021 

Download a pdf EOI form

Background 

Tronox Relationship Committee 

The Tronox Relationship Committee is established under Cooljarloo West Project Agreement between the Yued People, SWALSC and Tronox Management, signed in 2015. There are four Yued positions on the Committee. The Yued Working Party resolved that the positions would be filled by a man and woman from the Working Party and a man and women from the Yued community. There is one vacancy for the community sourced women's position, to be filled by invitation to provide an EOI for the position. 

Iluka Implementation Committee 

The Iluka Implementation Committee is established under the Voluntary Co-Operation Agreement between the Yued People and Iluka Resources Limited, signed in 2014. There are four Yued positions on the Committee. The Yued Working Party resolved that the positions would be filled by a man and woman from the Working Party and a man and women from the Yued community. There is one vacancy for the community sourced women's position, to be filled by invitation to provide an EOI for the position.

Nominations open for the Yued Trust Advisory Committee

The Trustee for the Yued Charitable Trust is calling for nominations for the Yued Trust Advisory Committee (TAC). The current Yued TAC terms expire 9 January 2022. 

The Yued TAC has 6 vacancies that need to be filled in 2022. Terms are for 3 years, and TAC Members cannot serve consecutive terms. 

Consider nominating yourself for the Yued TAC to lead and represent Yued people in decisions that will affect trust distributions and the development of new policies to serve Yued people. 

To be eligible for the Yued TAC, you need to be able to demonstrate: 

1. Yued Connection 

2. Financial literacy 

3. Leadership experience 

4. Have no criminal convictions relating to fraud, or a civil offence other than traffic 

5. No conflicting commitments with that of the Trustee. 

Time commitment will be quarterly for committee meetings. However, it is expected that you are available to assist in developing and finalising a range of important deliverables, including the strategic plan, the budge, the distribution policies, and annual plan. 

This role is remunerated, and travel allowance is available to TAC Members who need assistance to attend meetings in line with ATO standard rates. 

Please contact the Trustee for more information on how to nominate yourself, and what other criteria are involved in the nominations process. 

Download a nomination form here. Please submit before: 17 January 2022 

Post: GPO Box A3, Perth WA 60001 or Email: yued@perpetual.com.au 

Kind regards, 

Taliah Payne 
Senior Trust Manager – Native Title 
Phone: (08) 9224 447 
E-mail: Taliah.payne@perpetual.com.au 

Download a pdf flyer of this announcement.

Download a nomination form.

CLOSE OF REGIONAL CORPORATION MEMBERSHIP ROLLS

The cut-off date for memberships of the GKB, Ballardong, Whadjuk and Yued regional corporations will be Wednesday 1 December, and Friday 3 December for Wagyl Kaip.

You will need to have your membership application in by 1 December in order to be eligible to nominate for the board or cultural advice committees, to vote in the first elections, and to attend the first general meeting.

Click here to apply online, or contact SWASLC to arrange a printed form.

Applications open for WKSN Education, Health & Wellbeing Fund:

WKSN & Ravensthorpe Nickel Operations
Education, Health & Wellbeing fund

Funding is now available under Ravensthorpe Operations Agreement with First Quantum Minerals Limited (ROA) to support Wagyl Kaip people with education, health & wellbeing in the form of scholarships or grants.

Download the application forms here or contact the Noongar Development Officer to have a copy sent to you:

• Funding Guidelines

• Grant Application

• Organisation Funding Application

Applications for this round of funding will close Friday 31 December. Email your completed application forms to: wksngrants@noongar.org.au.

Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar & Ravensthorpe Nickel Operations Noongar Development Officer

The Ravensthorpe Operations Agreement (ROA) Relationship Committee, which includes Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar members, is funded through the Ravensthorpe Operations Agreement (ROA).

The Relationship Committee has engaged a Noongar Development Officer to promote employment and business opportunities for members of the Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar community and to coordinate the operations of the relationship committee. 

Graeme has over 10 years’ experience in mining as a FIFO, and is available to discuss employment and business opportunities in the mining sector on country.

Noongar Development Officer

Graeme Miniter
DPIRD Office, at 444 Albany Highway, Albany
Email: graeme.miniter@noongar.org.au 
Mobile: 0484 271 218

Close of regional corporation membership rolls

The cut-off date for memberships of the GKB, Ballardong, Whadjuk and Yued regional corporations will be Wednesday, 1st December.

You will need to have your membership application in by the 1st December in order to be eligible to nominate for the board or cultural advice committees, to vote in the first elections, and to attend the first general meeting

Click here to apply online, or contact SWASLC for a printed form.

2021 SWALSC AGM

This year’s SWALSC AGM will be held on 15 November at High Wycombe Community & Recreation Centre from 9:30am–2:30pm. 

It’s been a very big year for SWALSC and for the South West Native Title Settlement. Please join us as we look back on our hard work this year, and prepare for an even more productive 2022.

Download meeting notice and previous minutes here.

Download pdf of Annual Report here.

Nominations sought for a new Aboriginal Strategic Advisory Group.

The Department of Communities is establishing an Aboriginal Strategic Advisory Group to provide advice and ideas on important areas of work, including Child Protection, Disability Services, Family and Domestic Violence, and Housing and Homelessness.

Nominations are sought from interested Aboriginal people from around Western Australia to be part of the first advisory group.

Advisory group membership

Membership of the advisory group will comprise between 10 and 15 people, including men and women from the metropolitan area, regional towns and cities, and remote communities. Communities will aim to have equal numbers of men and women on the advisory group.

Members will be appointed for a one- or two-year period to enable staggered terms and ensure continuity.

Meetings

The advisory group will meet four times a year, mostly in person but members can also attend online through Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Additional meetings may be held with all or some members of the advisory group if advice is needed about particular issues or if an emergency arises (such as a lockdown due to COVID-19).

Communities will organise and pay for members who need to travel to attend the meetings.

Members will receive a sitting fee for each meeting.

Applications

Applications close at 5pm on Monday 18 October 2021.

To apply, please download and fill out a nomination form, and provide a description about your interest in the role and the knowledge and experience you will bring to it. This might include professional learning from work or study, or through being involved in your community.

You can prepare this written description yourself or someone can provide one on your behalf. You can also create a video telling us why you would like to be part of the advisory group.

Please send your nomination form and written description or video to us by email to aboriginal-outcomes-secretariat@communities.wa.gov.au or by post to:

Department of Communities
Locked Bag 5000
Fremantle WA 6959

For more information about the application process, please contact the Secretariat on the email above, or phone Chris Stronach 0432 835 751 or Chad Stewart on 0481 066 648.

New membership app and online forms

New SWALSC membership app

SWALSC has a new membership app available to download now.

The new app will make it easier for you to get information about what’s happening with SWALSC, and to keep your details up to date on our database.

Existing SWALSC members can login to the new membership app today and download it to your phone. To login for the first time:

• Click here and type in your user name and email address (your username is your first name and membership number, eg “Jane0001”)

• Press the “reset password” button and you’ll receive an email with a link to choose your own password

• Once your password is confirmed you can use it to login here.

If you aren’t able to login please contact SWALSC on (08) 9358 7400 and we can help.

Regional corporation EOI forms

We have a new online expression of interest form to make it easier to apply for membership of the new regional corporations. You may apply to join multiple regional corporations for any agreement groups you have a connection to, or just the one you feel most connected with.

We encourage you to join and get involved in the important work the regional corporations will do as part of the Settlement.

Click here to fill out your EOI for the regional corporation/s.

New grants available to preserve and protect Aboriginal heritage sites

The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage has grants available for the management, promotion and safekeeping of registered Aboriginal heritage sites in WA.

Incorporated Aboriginal not-for-profit organisations can apply for grants of up to $30,000 for 'on-the-ground' works including the remediation of burial sites, fence and signage installation, and promotion of cultural information. Projects must include a site registered on the Register of Aboriginal Places and Objects to be eligible for funding.

A total of $250,000 in grants funding is available. The previous 2020-21 funding round awarded grants for heritage projects, preservation, promotion and protection of Western Australia's invaluable Aboriginal heritage, and opportunities for truth-telling, reconciliation and cultural tourism. 

The grants program is administered by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. More information is available at DPLH or by phoning (08) 6551 7920.

Applications are now open and close on October 15, 2021. 

Original media release here

Trustee positions open for nomination

Nominations are open for the Noongar Charitable Trust - Advisory Council and the Yued Charitable Trust - Trustee Advisory Committee.

Noongar Charitable Trust

Nominations are open for new members of the Noongar Charitable Trust - Advisory Council.

The Noongar Charitable Trust (The Trust) was established in June 2011 to pool resources derived from the development of former Aboriginal Lands Trust Land in Gnangara and apply such funds to support specific charitable objectives for the Noongar peoples or organisations established for the benefit thereof. 

The charitable objects and purposes of the Trust are – the relief of poverty, sickness, suffering, destitution misfortune and helplessness of the Noongar Community. 

The Advisory Council is responsible for the distribution of funds to the Noongar community via a Community Grants Program. 

The Community Grants Program is aimed at providing support to small incorporated Aboriginal community-controlled organisations that are operating on Noongar country and delivering services to Noongar people. 

Key priority areas for funding include: - Health, Crisis and Hardship; Aged; Housing; Cultural and Heritage; Education, Training and Employment; and Children and Youth (0-25 years). There are four (4) funding rounds per year: - January, April, July and October, and the Advisory Committee meets every quarter to review applications.

To nominate for a position on the Advisory Council, please complete the attached Nomination Form, and provide copies of any supporting documentation and submit it to Communitytrusts@eqt.com.au

Download an Advisory Council Nomination Process Information

Download an Advisory Council Nomination Form

Nominations close 5pm, Thursday 30th September 2021

Yued Charitable Trust

CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE TRUSTEE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The terms of all but one of the current appointed members of the Trustee Advisory Committee are due to expire on the 9-12 January 2022. As per section 8.6(b) Yued Charitable Trust Deed a person must not be appointed as a member of the Trust Advisory Committee for consecutive terms. 

Download a Trustee Advisory Committee nomination form

Please submit all nominations to the Trustee.

Nominations close 5pm, Monday 1 November 2021