Native Title & Indigenous Heritage Legal Services

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Lavan provides targeted and practical advice across native title, Aboriginal cultural heritage and First Nations matters. Drawing on the firm’s multi-disciplinary expertise, the practice delivers commercially and culturally informed guidance tailored to each client’s needs.

Our team have specialised knowledge of native title and Aboriginal cultural heritage and support landowners, developers and other land users to understand and navigate their obligations.

The team also has the ability to assist First Nations businesses with a range of corporate and commercial legal advice by engaging the strength of the broader firm at all levels.

Our Native Title, Indigenous Heritage & First Nations services

Lavan assists clients with native title, Aboriginal heritage and First Nations matters, including land access, heritage compliance and governance, working closely with relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Indigenous heritage

Understanding your obligations under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) is complex. Navigating the regime and associated suite of guiding documents can be overwhelming and can create an unnecessary administrative burden in an already process driven sector. Lavan can help you manage that burden, planning for and ensuring compliance with the Act. Particularly, we can assist you with a diagnostic check and subsequent Section 18 consent (as required), ensuring projects are fit for purpose and not at risk of costly and lengthy delay.

Being a Western Australian law firm, we recognise the need to work alongside relevant local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to build relationships that create strong, connected and economically active partnerships.

First Nations

We have an in depth understanding of the Aboriginal Heritage Act, Native Title Act 1993 and the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth), as well as other key legislation in order to assist clients with their individual corporate needs.

The team is well placed to assist with the establishment and management of Prescribed Bodies Corporates (PBCs) and other body corporates, as well as provide practical advice and support to those PBC’s who have management of their native title including drafting Rule Books, contracts of employment, relevant policies and procedures and governance issues and the development and facilitation of alliances and commercial arrangements with third parties (for example government departments, civil contractors and supply chain businesses).

Native title

We regularly assist clients with communication and stakeholder engagement strategies for negotiation, implementation and compliance with Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs), Noongar Standard Heritage Agreements (NSHAs), mining agreements, and heritage agreements generally.

The team has experience advising mining proponents, property developers and other land users as well as non-for-profit and small firm advocacy. In particular, we can assist you with security of title and land access, navigating the complex requirements resulting from the interactions between the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA), Environmental Protection Act 1986 (WA), and the Mining Act 1978 (WA).

Our Native Title, Indigenous Heritage & First Nations team

Our integrated practice enables us to draw from a pool of experienced practitioners to provide a tailored approach, delivering commercially and culturally aware advice regarding native title and Aboriginal heritage.