After 22 years and 82 agreements reached, I can confidently say agreement making with Traditional Owners – arguably your most important stakeholder if your industry operates on Country – is what I love. The complexity, the continuous learning, and of course, the benefits we achieve for all parties.

However, on very rare occasions, I have taken the difficult decision to walk away from leading a negotiation if I believe the motivations of one or more parties are not ethically sound. I had to do so recently, and it led me to reflect on our values and our rules of engagement.

With the right team and approach, negotiating a project agreement can be completed in four meetings as this case study shows.

As of 15 November 2023, Western Australia will once again have the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) govern Aboriginal heritage matters across the state. What does this mean for proponents? Click below to find out.

Land Access Negotiations are hard, why not see Kel’s seven tips to getting them done!

Agreement Hub has released a web application named Organise, which improves time consuming processes around cultural heritage survey management for both industry and Aboriginal Corporations, estimated to cut the amount of time required to submit and manage heritage notices by half. 

We invite you to take part in our survey about the upcoming implementation of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (WA). By sharing your perspectives, you can contribute to a comprehensive analysis of the situation and help shape the conversation on this topic. Your responses will remain confidential and will be used solely for research purposes. We greatly appreciate your time and valuable insights in advancing our understanding of the implications of the new fee structure. Thank you for your participation!

In order to support our clients throughout the introduction of the new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act WA (2021) we will be regularly updating and sharing the current status of the various documents, policies and systems the government release. We are in regular contact with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage and happy to answer any queries or concerns you may have.

Please check back here for any updates.

Aboriginal Corporation not taking your calls? Can’t get a meeting to start land access negotiations? What to do if your relationship with the Traditional Owners has gone pear-shaped.

A strong heritage business is in industry’s best interests as well, particularly with the upcoming changes to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act (WA) 2021 coming into effect from 1 July 2023. Click here to hear an interview with Barry Taylor, Heritage Manager at the Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation

In just over three months, Western Australia will get to know its new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2021 (WA), which re-works how Aboriginal cultural heritage is protected in Western Australia.

It seemed like an obvious choice to use this is the basis for Agreement Hub’s first client survey series of 2023. Are we ready?

It seems to me that the Aboriginal Corporations, Traditional Owners and industry all want the same thing.

Read on to find out if my hunch was right as well as some other lessons I picked up y working with an Aboriginal Corporation.

Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation (NAC) has successfully brought its heritage business back under its control thanks to the governance and advisory services of cultural heritage protection experts, Agreement Hub.

At Agreement Hub, we have long argued that good ESG is good business. ESG is more than a compliance issue, it's a means to enhancing shareholder returns by securing stakeholder support.