Governance

Working together as a community to establish a solid foundation towards independence,
community wellbeing, cultural identity, and healthy Country now and for future generations.

The Robe River Kuruma Leadership Team
The Robe River Kuruma Leadership Team comprises the Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation (RRKAC) and Kuruma Marthudunera Limited (KML) Board of Directors. The RRK leadership Team are forward-thinking, proactive and engaged members who continuously strive for governance best practice through early strategic initiatives that sets the Corporation and community up for success.

RRKAC and KML are committed to working in partnership towards a shared vision through strong leadership, excellent management, effective partnerships, and innovative thinking. Trust, respect and commitment to culture, community and relationships are at the core of our foundation.

The Joint Boards collaborate to identify RRK needs and priorities and to develop strategies to achieve positive outcomes for community, culture, and Country. RRKAC and KML have a responsibility to work collectively to deliver the RRK vision. They do so through a foundation built on trust, accountability, innovation, transparency, and making decisions collaboratively for the betterment of the RRK community.

The Role of RRKAC
The role of RRKAC is to hold RRK determined lands in trust for the RRK people and progress the broader interests of the RRK membership. RRKAC represents the RRK people in their dealings with industry, government, and the private sector. RRKAC monitors and implements obligations under the RRK people’s various participation agreements, provides services that protect and preserve RRK cultural heritage, and utilises charitable trust funds to deliver programs for the betterment of the RRK people. RRKAC are the doers – they are on the ground working with RRK people representing their rights and interests in mining agreements, delivering programs, and protecting their Country. They are the eyes and ears of the RRK people.

The Role of KML
For more information on the Trust, KML, visit the KML page.

RRKAC holds its community at the core of the Corporation’s governance structures, processes and policies, ensuring it is led, controlled, and championed by community. Succession planning and the capture, retention, and transfer of knowledge are recurring themes across the Corporation.

RRKAC successfully locates a ‘recognition space’ between the legislative requirements of the Australian legal system and the traditional laws and customs of the group, within and throughout its Indigenous governance model.  This has been recognised at a national level, having been nominated as a Top 5 Finalist in the Reconciliation Australia Indigenous Governance Awards in 2018 and 2022.

The group recognises culturally appropriate and community-inclusive representation in its framework, and community drive RRKAC’s corporate values. The RRK People are instrumental in the strategic plan developmental process and underpin the corporate governance framework, including through their strong representation throughout all decision-making bodies.

This approach removes any potential stagnancy, keeping community informed, empowered and accountable for their Corporation’s performance. The framework is community inclusive and provides for communication exchange across all decision-making bodies to ensure consistency and transparency and allowing the group to measure RRKAC’s effectiveness.

The RRK Peoples’ corporate structure has been developed to incorporate ‘customary’ decision-making processes. Their governance systems are therefore based on carefully validated cultural and family structures. The guidance of RRK people, particularly the Traditional Owner Council (TOC) as spokespeople for the community and the Heritage Advisory Committee (HAC) as RRK culture and heritage advisors to RRKAC, has considerable cultural authority within the group.

RRKAC is part of a broader structure of entities known as the RRK Group. The Robe River Kuruma people are the centre of the RRK Group.

Kuruma Marthudunera Limited

Kuruma Marthudunera Limited (KML) is a 100% subsidiary of RRKAC.
Following the successful negotiation of the Claim-Wide Participation Agreement (CWPA) with Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO) in 2011, KML was established as the Trustee for the RRK Peoples.
KML is responsible for managing the financial compensation payable for the impact of operations on the native title rights and interests of the RRK Peoples.
RRKAC and KML work closely together and have a cross over of directors on their boards.

The Kuruma Marthudunera Direct Benefits Trust No. 2 (KMDBT No.2)

The KMDBT No. 2 is another part of the RRK people’s Benefits Management structure which holds benefits for the RRK people. The KMDBT distributes funds directly to the RRK people as the trust’s beneficiaries.

The Kuruma Marthudunera Charitable Trust (KMCT)

The KMCT is part of the RRK people’s Benefits Management structure which holds benefits for the RRK people. The KMCT has a series of charitable purposes (for the benefit of the RRK people) which it uses the trust funds to pursue.

Robe River Services Pty Ltd

Robe River Services is a 100% subsidiary company of RRKAC established to be the business arm of the RRK Group.

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