In 2019, the Australian Government released a policy and guidelines for dealing with Commonwealth caveats over Indigenous-owned grant-funded property. These were informed by a comprehensive consultation process and guided by a Governance Committee.
Policy Statement
The policy balances:
- greater autonomy and economic empowerment with
- protecting service continuity and assets of significance.
It allows the Government to remove caveats from Indigenous owned property purchased using grants from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and its predecessor organisations.
Applications for caveat removal are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Information on eligibility and assessment criteria is available in the Caveat Removal Guidelines.
Organisations can now apply online. There is an alternative hard copy of the Application Form DOCX 158KB available.
If you have questions, please email CthRightsandInterests@niaa.gov.au.
Policy Principles
The policy commits the Australian Government to three clear principles:
- Supporting self-determination by maximising choice, flexibility, autonomy and economic independence for Indigenous organisations.
- Supporting the sustainability of assets for community benefit.
- Ensuring no organisation is disadvantaged by the use of the policy.