Contact Us

FEEDBACK

COMPLAINTS

DISPUTES ABOUT LAND

Funding for external assistance

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback because it helps us to stay in touch with your needs and to improve the way we work with you.

If you are pleased with us please let us know so that we can recognise and continue to do good work that you value.

Find out more about our commitment to serve you better by reading our service charter.

To tell us what you think use the form at the top of this page.

To make a complaint please read on.

COMPLAINTS

If you have a complaint about our service please let us know so we can resolve the problem.

We recommend that you first try to resolve the issue with the person you have been dealing with and speak with their manager if you are not satisfied.

If your complaint is still not resolved you can:

• ask a staff member at any of our offices to record your complaint
• send a letter to:
  Central Land Council
  PO Box 3321
  Alice Springs NT 0871
• call us on (08) 8951 6211 or 1800 003 640
• use the complaints form to email us

You can help us respond quickly and effectively to your complaint by:

• including specific detail about your situation (any correspondence, phone calls or other discussions you have had with staff about the problem you want fixed, relevant documents or photos)
• considering what you want us to do to fix the problem
• telling us if you need help to lodge your complaint, for example an interpreter or someone you want to speak on your behalf
• treating our staff with courtesy and respect, as they will treat you
• considering if your complaint relates to a dispute about land (these disputes are managed separately).

We will not respond to messages which are abusive or meant to intimidate.

To make a complaint please use this form.

How we handle your complaint

We will respond as quickly as possible to your complaint and will let you know within 10 days that we have received it.

If the matter is complex, we may take several weeks to give you an answer.

We will let you know if we can resolve your complaint directly, or whether we need more time to investigate it. Sometimes we may need to speak to staff who are out bush or away from the office for some time.

We will inform you of the findings of our investigation and what we may do about them.

If your complaint cannot be resolved

You can ask us to review the decision.

If we can’t resolve your complaint we will explain why and let you know what else you can do.

DISPUTES ABOUT LAND

We have statutory functions under section 25 of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act and section 203BF of the Native Title Act to help resolve disputes about land or to assist in promoting agreement about making native title applications or ownership of land.

Disputes about land can involve Aboriginal people, land trusts and corporations and other incorporated Aboriginal groups.

Our dispute management framework outlines how we deal with disputes, including those about land.

Please note that we will only assist with disputes about land or where disputes have a significant impact on our ability to do our work.

Some disputes are between family members, for example about housing. These types of disputes are best handled by specialist family mediators.

We help disputing parties if they consent to it and show commitment to managing the dispute.

FUNDING FOR EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE

CLC’s statutory functions including providing assistance to Aboriginal people who want to claim land or respond to development. CLC provides most of this assistance through its staff and consultants. CLC has a policy about requests from constituents for assistance through external parties (like lawyers or anthropologists). Under that policy, CLC might provide funding for a constituent to hire a lawyer or other consultant. You can see a copy of the policy here: CLC policy on external assistance applications. It explains how to apply for assistance and how applications are assessed by CLC.