Across Australia, Aboriginal corporations, Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs) and Land Councils are entrusted with land, money, cultural authority, and community futures. Yet again and again, Traditional Owners and members are left asking the same basic questions and receiving no clear answers.

This is not just a local issue. It reflects a broader, systemic problem of oversight, resourcing, and accountability.

The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) is responsible for regulating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) aka CATSI Act. However, ORIC is widely understood to be under-resourced, over-stretched, and reactive rather than proactive.

As a result, ORIC is increasingly unable to effectively meet its regulatory mandate, and governance problems are becoming more entrenched rather than resolved.

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A pattern we see across communities

Traditional Owners across Australia are raising consistent concerns:

● Where is the money?

Community members often struggle to access clear, timely, and understandable financial information about how funds are allocated and spent.

● When are decisions being made and by who?

Meetings are poorly communicated, minutes are delayed or unavailable, and major decisions proceed without genuine member awareness or informed consent.

● Are Directors genuinely empowered?

Requests for meetings, information, and communication with PBCs are frequently rejected or go unanswered. Regulators often respond that Directors are “in control” and that internal governance processes must be relied upon. Yet when invitations are not sent to all Directors, minutes are withheld, and communication channels are effectively closed, what safeguards exist to ensure Directors can participate in open, fair, and informed decision-making? In small communities, Traditional Owners and Directors are left to carry this burden alone, without practical regulatory support.

● Why are Traditional Owners being side-lined?

Some governance processes appear to prioritise institutional or commercial interests over the clearly expressed wishes of Traditional Owners, weakening cultural authority and trust.

● Who is authorising and paying for legal action?

Legal proceedings are sometimes commenced using corporate funds without clear member approval or transparency, reducing resources intended for community benefit.

● Where is the regulator?

Complaints and concerns are often met with delay, limited action, or unclear communication, reinforcing the perception that problems can persist without meaningful oversight.

● Is regulatory oversight fair and equitable?

ORIC routinely engages consultant investigators whose rates have reportedly not been updated for many years. How can investigations be expected to be thorough and of a high quality without paying providers adequately?

We acknowledge that ORIC officers often work in difficult conditions with limited resources. However, lack of resourcing cannot justify ongoing harm to communities.

When regulators are unable to act decisively:

• Poor governance becomes normalised
• Community trust is eroded
• Traditional Owner authority is undermined
• Public and community funds are put at risk
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Independent reviews must lead to real change

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has undertaken audits and reviews of ORIC, with further reviews currently underway extended until May 2026.

Communities cannot afford for findings and recommendations to be delayed, diluted, or left unimplemented. The issue is no longer a lack of information - it is a lack of follow-through.

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What we are calling for

We call on the Australian Government to:

Properly resource ORIC to undertake timely, proactive, and culturally informed regulation
Strengthen accountability mechanisms for Aboriginal corporations, PBCs, and Land Councils
Ensure Traditional Owner authority and member rights are respected in governance processes
Require transparent reporting on finances, legal expenditure, meetings, and decision-making
Implement strongly recommended findings from past and present audits, reviews, and evaluations with clear actions, timeframes, and public reporting on progress.

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Why this matters

Aboriginal corporations were created to protect land, culture, and self-determination - not to become institutions that replicate the very systems they were meant to replace.

Communities deserve:

• Transparency
• Respect
• Accountability
• Regulators that are properly supported to do their job
• This petition is a call for systemic reform, not blame - and for a regulatory framework that genuinely serves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Sign and share to support stronger governance, proper oversight, and real accountability.