Indigenous organisations, native title holders and claimants, traditional owners, community groups and native title representative bodies will join a host of representatives from the Federal Court, National Native Title Tribunal, Commonwealth and State government agencies and academia at the annual Native Title Conference at Townsville’s Convention Centre.

The Conference features a record 170 speakers and presenters addressing a wide-range of native title related topics including climate change, carbon farming, protecting land and water rights, negotiating for economic development, protection of heritage sites, governance, lateral violence, innovations in achieving settlements, and Indigenous self-government.

The Conference will also discuss the future roles and direction of Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) and Prescribed Body Corporates (PBCs).

Canadian Aboriginal Dr Neil Sterritt, a world authority on native title, Aboriginal rights and Aboriginal governance, will deliver the prestigious Mabo Lecture this morning. Dr Sterritt, is a member of the Fireweed Clan of the Gitxcan Nation in northern British Columbia.

Indigenous people and their native title representative bodies and service providers held pre-conference workshops yesterday which now flow into the two days of the public program.

The conference is co-convened by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and the North Queensland Land Council (NQLC).

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Native title conference addresses diverse issues beyond Mabo