Native title describes the rights and interests of Indigenous people in land and waters. It is protected by the common law of Australia and the Commonwealth Native Title Act.
Indigenous land rights embody traditional laws and customs, including:
- right to hunt
- access rights
- ceremonial rights
Native title is addressed on all VicRoads road projects. Our processes are based on legal compliance and stakeholder feedback. They include:
- tenure history searches to identify native title impacts
- engaging and negotiating with stakeholders on key native title issues
- native title agreements for road projects and/or native title claim areas
- recognition and interpretation initiatives such as road and roadside asset naming, and interpretative displays and signage