Aboriginal Lands Trust

The Aboriginal Lands Trust (ALT) is a statutory board convened under the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972.​

• The ALT estate covers some 22 million hectares of land in Western Australia, which is about 8.7 per cent of the State. The ALT manages 301 parcels of land including 243 Crown reserves, 47 Freehold, 6 general purpose leases and 5 pastoral leases.
• There are an estimated 12,000 people living on the ALT estate in 142 permanent settlements.
• 17 of the 20 largest Aboriginal communities are located on ALT estate. The five largest are: Bidyadanga, Balgo, Warburton, Kalumburu and Jigalong.
• There are over 290 existing leasing arrangements which constitute approximately 13 million hectares (or 54%) of the ALT estate.
• There are 81 ALT reserves (19 million hectares) that are proclaimed by the Governor under Part lll of the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972  (AAPA Act), where special protections apply. To enter or transit through these reserves a permit is required.  

The ALT meets every two months.

Proposals and supporting information will need to be lodged with the Department at least 6 weeks prior to the Meeting Date.

Please note meeting dates/locations are subject to change.

For more information, please contact the ALT Secretary on 08 6551 8171 or via email on ALT@dplh.wa.gov.au

ALT Members are appointed based on their knowledge, skills and experience in Aboriginal housing service provision; business and economic development; and/or planning and land management. The terms of membership of ALT members are staggered to ensure strong continuity. Should you wish to register your interest in future calls for ALT membership, please visit OnBoardWA.

ALT Members

Roanna Edwards (Chairperson)
Term of appointment – November 2021 – November 2023

Roanna currently works as Director WA for PwC’s Indigenous Consulting and is an experienced community engagement manager with a demonstrated history of working in the utilities industry and across Aboriginal Affairs. Roanna brings a sound knowledge of housing service provision in regional/remote communities across WA. She has previously worked for the Northern Land Council, leading the Council’s communications around native title, pastoral leases, mining leases and gazetted townships. She also has a strong media background as previous board member on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Indigenous Advisory Panel.

Nerida Haynes
Term of appointment – July 2022 - June 2026

Nerida is currently working for Terra Rosa Consulting working with Aboriginal communities to utilise/develop land tenure to provide long-term economic return as well as achieve environmental, cultural heritage and social targets. Nerida has extensive knowledge in relevant legislation and government policies for Aboriginal heritage/land management processes. She is also undertaking part-time study for a Graduate Diploma in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Management.

Rowena Mouda
Term of appointment – August 2020 – June 2024

Rowena is currently employed by Ngunga Women’s Group in Derby and leads the early years team delivering playgroups in the Derby region. Rowena has over 20 years experience in community and economic development in remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley region. As a native title member, she is actively involved in supporting her family and tribal native title interests within the region, serving on committees and boards. In October 2019, Rowena joined the Shire of Derby / West Kimberley for a 4 year term as a Councillor.

Andrew Dowding 
Term of appointment – August 2020 – June 2024

Andrew is from the Ngarluma traditional owner group and grew up between Perth, Sydney, and the Pilbara. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney majoring in both Anthropology and History, and is a current PhD candidate in Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the University of Melbourne. Andrew has lived and worked in a range of places from Perth, Broome, Arnhem Land, Los Angeles, Sydney, New Delhi and Roebourne. Each of these places has influenced the skills and experience that he brings to his current role as Managing Director of Winyama. Andrew’s major professional roles have been in the fields of Native Title, ethnographic heritage survey and more recently in Indigenous mapping. Andrew’s passion is Indigenous mapping and the use of technology for cultural safeguarding. He co-founded Winyama in 2018 to provide more opportunity for Indigenous people to work in the geospatial industry and within the broader digital economy.

Cecilia (Cissy) Gore-Birch
Term of appointment - March 2023 - March 2025
Cissy is a Jaru and Kija woman with connections to Balanggarra, Nyikina, and Bunuba country. She has worked in Aboriginal land management and community development for over twenty years. Cissy is the Chairperson of the Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC in the East Kimberley, as well as a member of the Kimberley Development Commission, having been appointed in 2018.

Brett Lewis
Term of appointment - March 2023 - March 2025
Brett is from the Northern Goldfields region with extensive experience in the business and community sectors. He is Chairperson of the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC representing the native title holders for an area of about 13,000 square kilometres between Leinster and Wiluna in the Northern Goldfields. Brett is a founder and Managing Director of an Aboriginal owned and operated construction and haulage company (Bundarra Contracting), which holds pastoral subleases over Albion Downs, Mount Keith, Yakabindie and Leinster Stations.

The Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972 (AAPA Act) makes provision for the establishment of an Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority and an Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Council for the purposes of providing consultative and other services for the economic, social and cultural advancement of Aboriginal people in Western Australia.

Read the Annual Report