About the CATSI Act
The Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act) is corporate law that regulates the registration and governance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations.
It is a special measure under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, taking into account the unique cultural circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Provisions of the CATSI Act require that a corporation must at all times owned and controlled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Registration under the CATSI Act is mostly voluntary. However some corporations are required by other statute to be registered under the CATSI Act. For example:
- Native Title Act 1993 requires that a Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC) is registered under the CATSI Act.
- The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 requires that Recognised Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) are registered under the CATSI Act.
Registration under the CATSI Act is mostly voluntary. However, sometimes a funding body will require or prefer that a corporation is registered under the CATSI Act, providing assurance that the corporation is Indigenous owned and controlled.
CATSI Regulations
The CATSI Regulations contain a range of machinery provisions necessary for the effective operation of the CATSI Act, as well as provisions dealing with certain substantive matters not dealt with in the CATSI Act. For example, setting out the detail of corporation reports.
Obtaining copies of the CATSI Act
We do not publish copies of the CATSI Act, amendments or regulations. You can download copies from the Australian Government's Federal Register of Legislation or buy print copies.
Corporations Act 2001
Some parts of the Corporations Act apply to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations because the CATSI Act says they should apply or because of the broad definition of ‘corporation’ in section 57A of the Corporations Act.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) may regulate corporations where the Corporations Act applies. You can find out more about the Corporations Act by going to the ASIC website or the Corporations Act 2001.