Geographic spread of the top 500 corporations

Figure 2: Geographic spread of the top 500 corporations, 2014–15

As shown in figure 2, the Northern Territory had the most corporations in the top 500 in 2014–15 (165 corporations, making up 33.0 per cent of the total 500).

The other three geographic jurisdictions with a large number of corporations in the top 500 were Western Australia (127), Queensland (95) and New South Wales (66). This order of ranking has remained unchanged since 2012–13.

Under the CATSI Act all corporations are required to submit one or more reports to the Registrar depending on their size (small, medium or large) and income.

Figure 1: Reporting compliance for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations, 2001–02 to 2014–15

Figure 1 shows that since 2001–02 the percentage of corporations that have complied with their reporting requirements has increased significantly from 24 per cent to over 97 per cent. Corporations have now sustained a rate of compliance of above 95 per cent for the past six years.

This report provides information about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporate sector, specifically Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations registered under the CATSI Act.

• The combined income of the top 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations for 2014–15 was $1.88 billion (compared to $1.74 billion in 2014–15, an increase of 8.2 per cent).
• The ten-year average annual growth rate of total income for corporations was 9.4 per cent.
• In comparison to 2013–14 the average income of the top 500 corporations in 2014–15 increased from $3.48 million to $3.76 million.
• Corporations in the Pilbara region have experienced the first fall in average income s

The CATSI Act establishes the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and allows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups to form corporations. The CATSI Act delivers modern corporate governance standards—
it emphasises the importance of compliance and reporting as a mechanism to improve transparency and accountability. The CATSI Act provides a legislative mechanism to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people build strong corporations, strong people and strong communities.

When interpreting the data in this report readers should be aware of the following:

Data interpretation and limitations

When interpreting the data in this report readers should be aware of the following:

Woolloongabba, Queensland: Few would disagree that the work Link-Up (QLD) carries out is of the highest importance. For more than 30 years the corporation has helped people to connect with relatives that were lost to them because of past Australian Government policies. Up to the 1970s, state and national government practices saw Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children removed from their families and communities.

Derby, Western Austraila: Garl Garl Walbu Alcohol Association Aboriginal Corporation was incorporated in 1988 to contribute to policy and research about alcohol and drug misuse and related problems among Aboriginal people in the Kimberley—and to care for people affected. The corporation is based in Derby, in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia—a long way from Perth and Darwin.

The effect of alcohol and drugs

One of the corporation’s directors, Nola D’Antoine, describes how problematic alcohol and drugs are for this community: