Reforms to the Native Title Act 1993

Update 3 February 2021
On 3 February 2021, the Australian Parliament passed the Native Title Legislation Amendment Bill 2020 into law. Most of the measures in this legislation will commence on a date to be fixed by Proclamation. Find out more about the Bill on the Parliament of Australia website.

The Attorney-General and Minister for Indigenous Affairs released an options paper on proposed reforms to the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth).

The options for reform canvassed by the paper address recommendations from the

• Australian Law Reform Commission’s report on Connection to Country: Review of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth)
• Council of Australian Government’s Investigation into Land Administration and Use, and
• Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations’ Technical Review of the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006

The focus of the options paper is on reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the native title system to resolve claims, better facilitate agreement-making around the use of native title land, and promote the autonomy of native title groups to make decisions about their land and to resolve internal disputes.