Treaty facts: What happens when a new Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) is created?
Under the proposed Aboriginal Representative Body model, a corporation will have a reserved seat if it is formally recognised.
This means a group recognised:
- As a Registered Aboriginal Party under the Aboriginal Heritage Act (2006), or
- As having an agreement under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act, or
- As having Native Title over an area
This includes the First Peoples of the Millewa-Mallee, who have recently been recognised as a Registered Aboriginal Party.
This respects the immense amount of work involved in communities securing recognition, as well as the recognition itself.
Under the proposed model, generally elected seats are open to any Victorian traditional owner to run as a candidate. Any Aboriginal person aged 16 or over, living in Victoria is eligible to vote.
The Commission is also analysing alternative ways for traditional owner groups to be eligible for a reserved seat.