EIGHTH REPORT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON NATIVE TITLE AND THE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER LAND FUND
Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Introduction

The Committee's Duty

1.1 This report is prepared pursuant to s. 206(c) of the Native Title Act 1993 (hereafter the Act) as amended by the Land Fund and Indigenous Land Corporation (ATSIC Amendment) Act 1995 (hereafter the ATSIC Amendment Act). That section requires the Committee to report at its discretion to both Houses of Parliament on matters to which Parliament's attention should be directed about annual reports prepared pursuant to Part 4A of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989 (hereafter the ATSIC Act).

1.2 Essentially such reports concern the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund (hereafter the Land Fund) and the statutory authority established to use funds available from the Land Fund to acquire and manage land, the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC).

 

Reports Under Consideration

1.3 Two annual reports prepared pursuant to Part 4A of the ATSIC Act are examined in this report. They are the report regarding the administration of the Land Fund for the period 1995-1996 and the ILC's Annual Report 1995-96. The Land Fund report is not separately documented but is attached as Appendix 11 to ATSIC's Annual Report 1995-96. It is also appended to the ILC report as Appendix 1.

1.4 Notably, neither of these annual reports refers to the name of the organisation in the report title; this should be remedied in the next reports.

1.5 The Land Fund report responds to ATSIC's responsibility to keep accounts and prepare financial statements for the Land Fund under s.193H of the ATSIC Act. ATSIC also has investment powers in relation to the Land Fund.

1.6 The 1995-96 Land Fund report (appended to the ATSIC annual report) and the 1995-96 ILC report are the second such publications produced. The first reports prepared pursuant to Part 4A of the ATSIC Act were examined by this Committee in its fifth report.

 

Public Hearing

1.7 In order to hear evidence about the reports under consideration and to examine any matters arising, the Committee held a public hearing on Monday 24 March 1997 at Parliament House. The ILC General Manager (Mr John Wilson) and Deputy General Manager (Mr Murray Chapman) attended the hearing. ATSIC was also invited to attend; relevant officers were present but were not required to present evidence. The Committee is grateful to the ILC and ATSIC for the continuation of the cooperation that has been enjoyed in regard to this and other matters.

 

Committee Report

1.8 This report was adopted by the Committee at a private meeting on 4 June 1997. It considers the Land Fund annual report at Chapter 2 and the ILC's annual report at Chapter 3.