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Terms of reference - October 2009

The Chairs of the Aboriginal Joint Management Boards and Committees are to be known as the Joint Management Custodians of NSW.

Aboriginal joint management for the purposes of these terms of reference is an arrangement in which Aboriginal communities share responsibility for park management with Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECCW).

The role of the Joint Management Custodians of NSW is to counsel and make recommendations to the Director General of DECCW and the Minister on any matter relating to the joint management of parks in NSW. DECCW will provide its response to recommendations and the reasons for DECCW responses to the Joint Management Custodians of NSW.

Representation at the meeting will be the Chairs of the joint management boards and committees or a representative nominated by the relevant joint management board or committee.

The Joint Management Custodians of NSW will:

• act as a leadership group on joint management activities across the State;
• communicate between Aboriginal communities on Aboriginal joint management matters;
• provide advice and recommendations to DECCW on the joint management of parks and Aboriginal heritage in parks reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and marine parks under MPA Act and aquatic reserves under FM Act, to ensure that DECCW's approach to joint management reflects Aboriginal community concerns and aspirations. This includes providing advice and recommendations on:
  • policies,
  • programs,
  • research proposals
  • plan of management processes.
• refer relevant issues to specialist working groups to develop policy positions, work programs, administrative processes and papers relevant to joint management;
• form subgroups to work on specific issues as decided by the group;
• identify strategies to support other Aboriginal communities to develop and support Aboriginal joint management arrangements with DECCW;
• represent the interests of the Aboriginal joint management network (both joint management arrangements that already exist and those being negotiated);
• provide information to the joint management network on the recommendations and discussions of the Joint Management Custodians of NSW, including relevant issues and papers being circulated to the joint management network before the Joint Management Custodians of NSW meetings to provide input into discussions;
• provide a report to Director General, Parks and Wildlife Group and the DECCW Executive on progress by June 2011;

These terms of reference and the ongoing operation of the Joint Management Custodians of NSW will be reviewed by June 2011.

The membership of the Joint Management Custodians of NSW will be reviewed after 12 months to consider whether the membership should be expanded (this is 12 months after the Minister writes to formally establish the group).

See Structure of Joint Management Custodians of NSW (AJMNStructure.pdf, 13KB)