Please be aware the NSW Aboriginal Land Council doesn’t provide Confirmations or Certificates of Aboriginality nor support for heritage.

Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCS) may provide a Confirmation of Membership once a person is a member of a LALC and after a period of active membership. However, the person must already have had evidence of their heritage to be accepted as a member in the first place. LALCs usually require people seeking membership to speak at a general Members’ meeting. Membership is for the 18+ age group.

For more information, visit our page on Confirmation of Aboriginality here.   

There are extenuating circumstances where a person is from the Stolen Generations. In that type of case, you will need to contact Link-Up NSW. If the person isn’t Stolen Generations, then Link-Up services aren’t appropriate.

Please be aware of the three-part definition of Aboriginality: that the person is of Aboriginal descent, identifies as an Aboriginal person and is accepted as an Aboriginal person by the community in which s/he lives, formerly lived or where their family originates.

We recommend you contact Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) or Aboriginal organisations in your area about wording for an Acknowledgement to Country.

The LALCs are most connected to their communities and the specific boundaries between Nation Groups, so are most appropriate to contact.

Contact details for all the Local Aboriginal Land Councils can be found on our website here.

You can also use the NSW Government planning portal to find your desired area and which LALC boundaries it falls under.

Also NTSCorp may be able to assist, as they provide a range of services pertaining to Aboriginal Traditional Owners in NSW and the ACT.

We recommend you contact a Local Aboriginal Land Council in your area regarding a Welcome to Country. 

The LALCs are most connected to their communities and the specific boundaries between Nation Groups, so are most appropriate to contact. 

Contact details for all the Local Aboriginal Land Councils can be found on our website here. 

You can also use the NSW Government planning portal to find your desired area and which LALC boundary your area falls under. 

NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) doesn’t offer a formalised service of an Elder representing the organisation.

NSWALC is the Council made up of nine elected Councillors and the strategic and administrative arm of the organisation.

NSWALC works with 121 Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) around NSW, who are the ones who are representative of their individual communities.

For a formalised service of an Elder, you'll need to approach a LALC, another Aboriginal community organisation or even a university with an Aboriginal unit for assistance.

Contact details for all the Local Aboriginal Land Councils can be found on our website here. 

Under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (1983) an adult Aboriginal person can apply to become a member of a Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) on the grounds that they; live within the LALC area (‘residence’) or has an association with land in the LALC area (‘association’) or is an Aboriginal Owner in relation to land in the LALC area (i.e. listed on the Register of Aboriginal Owners).

To be accepted as a member of a LALC you must apply to the LALC in writing. You can apply as a new member or, if you were a member in the past, you can apply to reactivate your membership.

Your application should be based on the LALC area you live in. The LALC you are applying to join must be satisfied you are an Aboriginal person.

See our pages here on joining a LALC, Confirmation of Aboriginality and LALC Contact details.

The ALRA is available to view here and you can contact the Office of the Registrar for further information.

Are you looking to find or join a Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC)? See our pages here on joining a LALC, Confirmation of Aboriginality and LALC Contact details.

Your application should be based on the LALC area you live in. The LALC you are applying to join must be satisfied you are an Aboriginal person. 

To do this, LALC’s apply the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act (1983) (ALRA). The ALRA states that you must identify as a person of Aboriginal descent, show documentation identifying your family’s Aboriginal descent, and be accepted by your local Aboriginal community as a person of Aboriginal descent. 

The ALRA is available to view here and you can contact the Office of the Registrar here for further information.

If you have a complaint about the conduct of staff, consultants and/or Board members of a NSW Local Aboriginal Land Council, or staff and/or Councillors of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC), we're keen to hear from you. 

Our legislation limits what we can investigate. The Office of the Registrar, Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW) can handle complaints about matters directly related to provisions of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 and Aboriginal Land Rights Regulations 2014.

For more information, head to our complaints page here. 

To connect with local Aboriginal communites, we recommend you contact Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) or Aboriginal organisations in your area.

The LALCs are most connected to their communities and the specific boundaries between Nation Groups, so are most appropriate to contact.

Contact details for all the Local Aboriginal Land Councils can be found on our website here.

You can also use the NSW Government planning portal to find your desired area and which LALC boundaries it falls under.

As the NSW state body for the Land Rights network, we don’t assist with the beginning stages of students’ academic research obligations.

You’ll generally need to clarify your questions and conduct your own research to find these answers. Your education provider should also be assisting you with how to access the correct resources for your research, particularly if it is relevant to your course.

You can start by choosing a particular Aboriginal community, and then beginning your research online through Google before you reach out to Aboriginal organisations so you can have a foundation of general knowledge and can be more specific with the questions you ask.

Following this, we recommend you contact a Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) or Aboriginal organisations in your area.

The LALCs are most connected to their communities and the specific boundaries between Nation Groups, so are most appropriate to contact to possibly speak with Elders who can answer your questions if they are available.

Contact details for all the Local Aboriginal Land Councils can be found on our website here.

You can also use the NSW Government planning portal to find your desired area and which LALC boundaries it falls under.

You can also use the State Library and AIATSIS for further research or contact the Indigenous Unit within your institution of study for guidance.

A NSW organisation or Aboriginal person isn’t able to assist with Torres Strait Islander culture questions. You’ll need to contact organisations in the Torres Strait or far north Queensland.

The NSW Aboriginal Land Council doesn’t offer genealogical/family history or heritage services. 

However, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) offers extensive online resources and planning tools in researching your family history. 

If you're seeking a Confirmation of Aboriginality, please be aware the NSW Aboriginal Land Council doesn’t provide Confirmations or Certificates of Aboriginality nor support for heritage.

Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCS) may provide a Confirmation of Membership once a person is a member of a LALC and after a period of active membership. However, the person must already have had evidence of their heritage to be accepted as a member in the first place. LALCs usually require people seeking membership to speak at a general Members’ meeting. Membership is for the 18+ age group.

For more information, visit our page on Confirmation of Aboriginality here.