Special administration end - Waanyi Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC

The Registrar of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations, Ms Tricia Stroud has today announced the end of the special administration of the Waanyi Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC.

The corporation was placed under special administration on 15 April 2024. Initially set to end on 18 October 2024, the appointment was extended twice – to 31 January 2025 and 28 February 2025. The Registrar decided to end the special administration earlier than anticipated, today handing control of the corporation back to its members.

The Registrar placed the corporation under special administration to strengthen its financial management framework and controls. For more on the appointment see the Registrar’s announcement on 15 April 2024: Special administration - Waanyi Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC. 

The special administration achieved a range of positive outcomes for the corporation including establishing an office in Cairns to run the corporation's operations. There has been a steadying of resources with an interim CEO supported by an administration officer and an anthropologist – all directly employed by the corporation; and the final stage of recruiting a permanent CEO will be executed by the incoming board. It is expected the corporation will soon have up to 3 additional staff to fulfill contracts recently won by the corporation. The special administration has had a strong focus on building in-house capability for the corporation instead of contracting services out to external parties.

The special administrator introduced a financial management framework, policies and procedures, none of which the corporation previously had. These include budgeting for all cost centres, budget variance reporting to the directors, revised financial delegations, and a policy for administering cultural payments.

To assist with monitoring the corporation’s governance as it emerges from special administration, the corporation will be required to provide additional reporting to ORIC for a period.