The National Native Title Council (NNTC), Australia’s peak body for regional and local native title organisations, welcomed today’s announcement by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Nigel Scullion, for funding to develop a training program for local native title organisations (Prescribed Bodies Corporate – PBCs) focussing on organisational capacity building and business development.

NNTC Chair, Mr Jamie Lowe, said “PBCs are the key to an efficient and effective native title system that delivers real benefits to this country’s Traditional Owners. Today’s funding announcement will allow the NNTC and its partners to develop a training program that will assist in realising these goals.”

The NNTC will work with a consortium of partners including the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the RMIT University and the University of Melbourne to utilise the funding announced today to develop the PBC training program.

“Today’s announcement is an important first step”, said Mr Lowe. “It is just as important that State and Territory Governments and the Commonwealth support the ongoing delivery of the PBC training programs that the funding announced today will allow the NNTC to develop.”