Kado Muir | Chair
Kado Muir is a cultural leader and senior knowledge holder from the Ngalia dialect family of the Mantjiltjara language group, with traditional territorial ties in the Western Deserts of Western Australia. He is a First Nations Australian entrepreneur, artist, anthropologist and indigenous rights activist, a fierce advocate for preservation and maintenance of First Nations languages, protection of cultural heritage and the pursuit of environmental and land justice in Australia.
Kado is Chair of the National Native Title Council, Co-Chair of the First National Heritage Protection Alliance and a steering group member of the First Nations Clean Energy Network. He is also Chair of the Wakamurru Aboriginal Corporation Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate (RNTBC), the Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC) for Manta Rirrtinya Native Title Determination and a director of Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation Registered Native Title Bodies Corporate (RNTBC) for the Tjiwarl Determination.
Frequently sought after by Australian and international media, he regularly consults and speaks on responsible investment, meaningful Environmental Social Governance and Sustainable Development Goal actions, and adoption of technology, including fintech and other methodologies, for recognising natural, social and cultural capital.
Kado is a renowned expert in negotiating First Nations equity in projects on traditional country and actively promotes alternative community based enterprises and sustainable livelihoods, through his culturally grounded economic model, Wealth in First Nations. He is a business founder with interests in technology, flavours & fragrances and ecosystem based natural capital.
Tony Kelly
Tony is the Chief Executive Officer of First Nations Legal and Research Services. He has nearly four decades experience working with Traditional Owners across the country. He is passionately committed to ensuring Traditional Owners have their rights and interests respected and self-determination recognised.
Tony’s ability to collaborate with people to find solutions to complex problems under rapidly shifting circumstances is second to none. He brings together a history of managerial and field experience that encompasses environmental science, community development and law. This combined with his governance experience on a range of not-for-profit boards makes him ideal for the NNTC board.
Ned David
Ned David is a Kulkalaig man from Tudu (Warrior) Island in the Torres Strait.
Ned is the current Chair of several organisations in the Torres Strait, including the Gur A Baradharaw Kod (GBK)
Sea and Land Council, the Torres Strait Islanders Regional Education Council (TSIREC), and the Magani Lagaugal Registered Native Title Body Corporate.
He has extensive experience working in both government and private sectors, and a background in education, working with young people in Torres Strait.
Rhonda (Jake) Jacobsen
Rhonda (Jake) is a Ngempa Kamilaroi woman and the Interim Chief Executive Officer at the North Queensland Land Council.
She has more than 15 years experience working in Native Title Representative Bodies and Service Providers.
Joshua Haynes
Joshua Haynes is a Yandruwanha Yawarawarka man.
He is Deputy Chairperson of South Australian Native Title Services, Chair of the Marree and Innamincka NRM Group and a Director of the Cooper and Eromanga Basin Aboriginal Executive Committee.
Melvin Farmer
Melvin is Chairperson of the Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation.
He is a Walakaja Elder and his two language groups are Manyjilyjarra and Pintupi.
Peter Windie
Peter is a Thudgari man who played an integral leadership role in his peoples’ Native Title Determination in 2009. He was also an applicant on the combined Thiin-Mah Warriyangka Tharrkari Jiwarli native title claim, determined in 2019. Peter lives in Gascoyne Junction in Western Australia and is a well-respected community leader in the region.
In early 2020, he was appointed Director of Pilbara Solar, a renewable energy company that develops commercial renewable energy projects aiming to create equity ownership for Traditional Owners. He is passionate about Country, and the depth Aboriginal people are spiritually connected to the land. Peter was re-elected as Yamatji Chairperson and YMAC Director at the 2022 Yamatji Annual Regional Meeting (ARM).
Elaine King
Meekatharra born and raised in the mid-west region of Western Australia, Elaine King was involved in the Yugunga-Nya, Meekatharra Native Title determination. Registered in 1999, Elaine picked up her mother’s reins to follow in her footsteps in 2010, to see the claim come to fruition in November 2021.
Formed in 2004, Elaine sits with Yugunuga Peoples Trust that provide discretionary support to primary beneficiaries from the native title claim group. This includes relief for the elderly and those experiencing poverty, sickness, suffering, distress, misfortune or destitution.
With a strong connection to youth with whom she has worked with over a 35-year career, Elaine’s ambition is to help her people to move forward and to pave a better future for the young.
Francine McCarthy
Francine is a Warumungu woman born in Tennant Creek who grew up in Alice Springs and on the Nauiyu Nambiyu (Daly River) Community. Today she is the Manager Native Title with the Central Land Council (CLC), holding this position for the last 8 years.
Throughout her time at CLC Francine has been an NNTC Board member, over two terms including that of Chair and Deputy Chair. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science, specialising in Cultural Heritage Management from the University of Canberra, is a member of the Northern Territory Heritage Council, and a member of three PBCs in and around Tennant Creek.
Francine brings a wealth of knowledge from Central Land Council including experience in operations of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 and first hand Native Title and PBC understanding in the central Australian context. She strongly supports Aboriginal peoples’ interests in access to and management of land, education, youth issues, housing, community advocacy and enterprise development.
Tim Wishart
Tim Wishart is currently Acting Chief Executive Office of Queensland South Native Title Services (QSNTS) undertaking this role since 10 July 2023.
Tim initially joined QSNTS in August 2010, initially as a Senior Lawyer. In September 2012, he was appointed acting Principal Lawyer, and was confirmed in that role in March 2013 following an extensive national recruitment process. Admitted as a legal practitioner in December 1991, Tim’s pre-QSNTS work was primarily in litigation and commercial law.
Today with over 13 years of experience in native title practice and policy, Tim has been recognised as a leading native title practitioner by Doyle’s Guide and is a nationally accredited mediator. He also regularly presents papers on native title topics at specialist forums and has made significant contributions to policy discussion on a local, state, and national level.