To ensure the ongoing success of the Noongar Boodja Trust (NBT) the WA Government:
- Has appointed a professional trustee company (Perpetual Trustee Company Limited) as the Initial Trustee of the NBT from 29 March 2021, to manage all assets arising from the Settlement for the first 12 years;
- Is providing funding instalments of $50 million annually to the NBT for 12 years. These payments commenced in April 2021, and will accrue for the first 12 years of the NBT’s operation, forming the Noongar Future Fund;
- Is providing $10 million annually for 12 years as operational funding for the six Noongar Regional Corporations and the Central Services Corporations (collectively, the Noongar Corporations), commencing from April 2021.
- Will provide funding towards office accommodation for each of the Noongar Regional Corporations and the Central Services Corporation to be held as Trust assets.
Charitable trust
The NBT is a special purpose charitable trust subject to all the usual Australian financial rules and regulations. The NBT maintains the majority of the trust capital, with a fixed percentage being distributed each year for Noongar cultural, social and economic programs to the Noongar Corporations.
The Noongar Corporations are the only beneficiaries of the Trust. NBT assets are held separate from the seven Noongar Corporations to ensure that assets are protected and remain intact if the Noongar Corporations encounter any difficulties. In the long-term the NBT has the potential to deliver enduring economic, social and cultural benefits to the Noongar people for generations to come.
NBT structure
The Noongar Governance Structure is unique because the Noongar Corporations drive the outcomes and the NBT provides, according to certain safeguards, financial support to the Noongar Corporations.
The NBT makes yearly funding allocations to each Noongar Corporation, who then make decisions about their spending against identified activities and objectives.
Another unique feature of the NBT is that it holds Noongar Cultural Land however, this land is managed on a day-to-day basis by the Noongar Corporations.
A range of committees and structures provide support, direction, and influence over how the NBT is managed. To learn more about these committees please see the Noongar governance structure committees page.
For further information on the NBT, please see the documents below or visit the NBT website.
