Current status
The Eastern Maar traditional owner group and the State have agreed to negotiate a Recognition and Settlement Agreement.
The Eastern Maar traditional owner group is seeking to negotiate a Recognition and Settlement Agreement (RSA) under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 (Vic). An RSA would recognise the traditional owner rights of the Eastern Maar over a given area (Country) and may include associated agreements about the use and management of public land, amongst other matters, to resolve native title claims outside of the Federal Court process.
On 2 November 2017, the former Attorney-General, the Hon Martin Pakula MP, announced that the Victorian Government and the Eastern Maar traditional owner group had agreed to commence negotiations to enter into a Recognition and Settlement Agreement (RSA) under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010.
The Victorian Government’s decision to commence negotiations is on the basis that Eastern Maar have met the State’s threshold requirements. The Government took into account submissions received from Victorian Traditional Owners during the six-week threshold notification period that ended in November 2015.
Updated