CATSI Act

The Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth), known as the CATSI Act, is the Commonwealth legislation that governs the registration, governance and operation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations in Australia, including Prescribed Body Corporates (PBCs) and Registered Native Title Body Corporates (RNTBCs). The Act is administered and regulated by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC). Under the CATSI Act, registered corporations including PBCs must maintain a valid constitution, hold meetings and keep minutes, maintain financial records, lodge annual reports with ORIC, and comply with director duty requirements. ORIC has significant powers of intervention, including the ability to appoint a special administrator to a corporation that has serious governance failures. The CATSI Act was designed specifically for Indigenous corporations and includes provisions that accommodate community-based governance practices not catered for by the Corporations Act 2001.