Proof of Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander Heritage
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The following is intended as a guide only. Guidelines and procedures may vary from region to region.
Your Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage is something that is personal and you do not need a "letter of confirmation" to identify as an Indigenous person. However, you may need to have your Indigenous heritage confirmed if you wish to apply for Indigenous-specific grants, loans, courses etc
To read some further background information, click here.
There are three criteria for confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage that are usually accepted by government agencies and community organisations and are outlined on ATSIC’s “Confirmation of Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander Descent” form. They are:
1. Being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
2. Identifying as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
3. Being accepted as such by the community in which you live, or formally lived.
Why is it so involved? Because, any benefit received by being identified as Indigenous, is to assist the imbalance caused in the past when Indigenous people did not receive the same educational and work opportunities as that of the majority European population.
What you need to obtain confirmation of Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander heritage
Perhaps you have a certificate that traces your family to a particular Aboriginal station or reserve? Perhaps you have oral history stories that link to an area or person or even a photograph? Whatever your situation, you will need to link to your Indigenous community organization for assistance. If you have been displaced from your heritage, you can research and take your evidence to the Indigenous community organization closest to you. You will be invited to explain your heritage to their committee.
Basically, you have to be known in the community you live in. If not, either you, or your parents or grandparents need to be known, in the community they come from. For instance, if you live in Canberra, you would contact the Ngunnawal Land Council in Queanbeyan, but, if you are not from Canberra, you would contact the Land Council in the area your family came from or were known in. That Land Council has to acknowledge your heritage and sign a declaration of your Aboriginality for you.
To find the contact details of a Land Council or other Indigenous community organization, try searching the Yellow Pages online www.yellowpages.com.au . Type ‘Aboriginal’ in the WHAT box and the place name in WHERE. In the print version of the Yellow Pages, look under ‘Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Associations & Organizations’.
If you are a member of the Stolen Generations, Link-up Officers may be able to sign this type of declaration. For contact details of the Link-Up Office nearest you, please see the Family History Unit Fact Sheet for your State or Territory.
Updated: March 2005