OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR, Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW)

ELECTIONS, ATTENDANCE AND TRAINING

Division 3 of the Regulation sets out the requirements for election and training of Board members.

LALC Boards are elected every two years. Under section 63 of the Act, the Registrar is the returning officer for LALC Board elections, but may delegate this role to another person (section 165A). For further information about elections, contact your NSWALC zone office or the Office of the Registrar.

The number of Board members depends on the number of voting members of the LALC:

• To stand for election to the Board of a LALC, you must be a voting member of that LALC.
• The Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson are elected at the first meeting of the new Board.
• Board members must attend meetings. A Board position may be declared vacant if the member fails to attend two consecutive meetings (unless the Board members is excused from attending by the Board).
• All new Board members must undertake training provided by NSWALC within six months of election. Board member training is required under section 65 of the Act.
• New Board members who do not undertake the required training may be disqualified from holding office (see section 66 of the Act).

The purpose of the training is to equip Board members with the skills and knowledge they need to manage their land council and to increase the governance and business capacity of LALC Boards.

Note: The Act allows NSWALC to waive the training requirement for Board members who already have the skills and experience to carry out their responsibilities as a Board member.

The NSWALC Training and Development Unit can be contacted at:

Phone: (02) 9689 4513 or 9689 4510