Portfolio Bodies and Statutory Office Holders

The FaHCSIA portfolio includes a number of statutory and non-statutory portfolio bodies and statutory office holders.

Portfolio Bodies

The Department provides advice to the Minister on strategic governance issues associated with portfolio bodies including Ministerial appointments, performance outcomes and their contribution to the Government’s broader policy agenda.

Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL)

  • AHL provides safe, comfortable, affordable and culturally appropriate accommodation for Indigenous Australians who must live away from home to access services and economic opportunity.

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS)

  • Established in 1980 as an independent, statutory authority, the role of the Australian Institute of Family Studies is to conduct research and communicate findings that affect family wellbeing to policy makers, service providers and the broader community.

Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)

  • IBA’s programs provide the means for Indigenous Australians to create wealth and accumulate assets, take up mainstream investment opportunities, create business enterprises that provide additional employment opportunities, and purchase homes.

Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC)

  • ILC’s purpose is to assist Indigenous people to acquire and manage land to achieve economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits.

Outback Stores Pty Ltd

  • Outback Stores is a Government owned company with an independent board that manages remote stores on behalf of Indigenous communities. It was set up in 2006 to help make stores functional and viable while meeting the long-term health and nutritional needs of Indigenous communities by applying good management and retail practices to remote community stores.

    Outback Stores respects and builds strong relationships with the communities it works with.  It provides management services for a fee, with all profits returned to the community.

Social Security Appeals Tribunal (SSAT)

  • The SSAT is the first level of external merits review of decisions made by Centrelink about social security, family assistance, education or training and parental leave payments. The SSAT is also the only level of external merits review of most decisions made by the Child Support Agency. Its statutory objective is to provide a mechanism of review that is 'fair, just, economical, informal and quick'.

Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA)

  • The TSRA’s outcome is to progress towards closing the gap for Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people living in the Torres Strait Region through development planning, coordination, sustainable resource management, and preservation and promotion of Indigenous culture.

Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council

Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA)

  • WGEA is a statutory authority whose role is to administer the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 which puts a focus on promoting and improving gender equality outcomes for women and men in Australian workplaces.

Northern Territory Land Councils

Anindilyakwa Land Council

  • The Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC) is a Commonwealth statutory authority established under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.

    ALC's primary focus is act as the peak representative body for the three communities of Angurugu, Umbakumba and Milyakburra on Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island and associated outstations. Other priorities include assisting the communities with land, sea and natural resource management and economic development.

Central Land Council

  • The Central Land Council (CLC) is a Commonwealth statutory authority established under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 and is also a Native Title Representative Body under the Native Title Act 1993.

    The CLC region covers the southern half of the Northern Territory, an area of around 750,000 square kilometres.   The Council is made up of 90 elected members speaking around 15 languages and representing 75 communities in Central Australia.  The CLC represents traditional owners and Aboriginal people on land related matters including land and native title claims, land use and management, community development, economic development and general advocacy.

Northern Land Council

  • The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a Commonwealth statutory authority established under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 and is also a Native Title Representative Body under the Native Title Act 1993.

    The NLC region covers the Top End or northern half of the Northern Territory, including the offshore area.   The Full Northern Land Council is made up of 82 traditional owner members who are representative of the region.  The NLC represents traditional owners and Aboriginal people in its region particularly on land and sea/water related matters including land and native title claims, land use and management including land and sea ranger programme, and economic development.

Tiwi Land Council

  • The Tiwi Land Council (TLC) is a Commonwealth statutory authority established under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.

    TLC was established to consult and manage free-hold land granted by the Commonwealth to and for the benefit of traditional owners of that land. The Tiwi Land Council consults with those owners and other indigenous Australians on Bathurst and Melville Islands about the use and management of the land and the resources of the land; including those economic development opportunities that these resources and use may provide.

 

Statutory Office Holders

A statutory office holder is a person who holds a position to which duties and functions are specifically assigned in legislation (as opposed to people who carry out the duties and functions assigned to a body established in legislation).

Four statutory office holders in the FaHCSIA portfolio exercise independent statutory functions with administrative support from the Department:

Aboriginal Land Commissioner

  • The Commissioner’s primary function is to inquire into traditional land claim applications made under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 and to report his findings and recommendations as to the granting of title of claimed land to the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and to the Administrator of the Northern Territory.

Executive Director of Township Leasing

  • The Executive Director, Township Leasing is an independent statutory office holder who works with communities to ensure that the township lease is managed effectively and provides a real benefit to the community.

Coordinator General for Remote Indigenous Services

  • The functions of the Coordinator General are the development and delivery of government services and facilities in each of the specified remote communities to a standard broadly comparable with that in non-Indigenous communities of similar size, location and needs elsewhere in Australia.

Registrar of Indigenous Corporations

  • The Registrar supports and regulates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006. The Registrar is supported by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations.

Ministerial Appointments to Boards and Committees

Future Board Vacancies in the Indigenous Affairs Portfolio

Are you interested in contributing to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage by playing a leadership role in providing sustainable benefits to Indigenous peoples?

The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs maintains a Register of suitably qualified individuals interested in ministerial appointment to positions on boards and committees across the portfolio.  We are seeking expressions of interest to the Register from people with relevant skills and expertise.  During 2013, there may be opportunities available for appointments to the boards of Aboriginal Hostels Limited; Indigenous Business Australia; the Indigenous Land Corporation and Outback Stores Pty Ltd.

We are looking for individuals with strong leadership, management or business skills, and a high standard of professional and personal integrity.  Experience in managing large complex operations at a senior level and a commitment to high-standard corporate governance is essential.

Appointments will be made on a part-time basis.

If you have a strong background in Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community enterprises, or experience in the finance and investment, business, social housing, hospitality, land or environmental management sectors, we would like to hear from you.

How to apply

Application kit and consent form are available to download.

Applications close on 2 March 2013

Further information

For further information or assistance, please call 1300 883 460 or email us at IPR@fahcsia.gov.au.

Content Updated: 6 June 2013