Confirmation of Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander Heritage
This information is being provided to applicants seeking employment under Special Measures provisions, who may be having difficulty confirming their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage.
Below are some suggested steps to help you get started with your family history research.
Why do I need to provide a letter confirming my heritage?
A range of government and community services and programmes are specifically targeted at addressing the social, health and educational issues that Indigenous people may face as a result of past government policies and inadequate access to educational, employment and health services. Requesting proof of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage from applicants for these services helps to ensure that they are benefitting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
Do I meet the criteria for an official confirmation?
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act (2005) (Cth) defines Aboriginality/Torres Strait Islander heritage as:
- Aboriginal person means a person of the Aboriginal race of Australia.
- Torres Strait Islander means a descendant of an indigenous inhabitant of the Torres Strait Islands.
Additionally, there are three criteria which Indigenous organisations will usually require you to satisfy before they will provide you with proof of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage. These criteria, which are often referred to as a ‘working definition’ of Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander heritage, are also used by many government agencies and other institutions to interpret the meaning of the above definitions. The three criteria are:
- being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
- identifying as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
- being accepted as such by the community in which you live, or formerly lived.
How do I confirm my Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage?
Confirmation of heritage requires you to provide a registered Indigenous community organisation with sufficient evidence of your heritage that their committee can review in order to issue you with a letter of confirmationstamped with their common seal.
The first step is to gather as much information as possible about your ancestry before contacting your local Indigenous community organisation. Perhaps you have copy of birth or marriage certificates of your parents or grandparents, or a certificate that traces your family to a particular Aboriginal station or reserve.You may have oral history stories that link to an area or person or even a photograph.
If you have been displaced and don’t have any documents you may need to contact your local Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages to conduct a family search.
The second stepis to contact either an Indigenous community organisation based where your family is known, or if you have moved regions or been displaced, in the location where you now accepted by community. It is useful to contact an organisation where your family is from, if possible, as someone in the community might know of or remember your family. An Indigenous organisation in the area where you live may also be able to provide you with a letter of confirmation. For instance, if you live in Canberra and your family is from the Canberra region, you could contact the Ngunnawal Land Council in Queanbeyan. If you live in Canberra but your family is from elsewhere, you would contact the Land Council in the area your family came from or were known.
Document what you know about yourself and your heritage
Your parent's names? Born where? When? Their brothers and sisters?Your grandparent's names or nicknames? Born when? Where? Their brothers and sisters? A good way to record this information is in a family tree.
Work back through certificates
Birth, death and marriage records are a great way to start tracing your family history and filling in the blanks in your family tree. Each state has a Births, Deaths and Marriages registry where you can apply for your own birth or marriage certificates. You can also apply for your parents' certificates (if they are alive you will need their permission) as well as the certificates of your grandparents, great-grandparents and so on. You may be asked to provide identification and proof that you are their descendant.
Research what was happening in the area where your people came from
Were your family associated with a mission, a station, a town? What was the history of the area?
Contact the local family history and historical society of the town your family is from
These societies are a valuable source of information for finding out about local and family history. You can pay a small fee for them to do a search on your behalf or become a member and access their resources and facilities directly. Many societies have also produced indexes to cemetery records, local newspapers etc.
Be aware of name variations
Think about the spellings of names and differences between birth names and the names that people are commonly known by.
Think about other people in your family tree
Remember that brothers and sisters share the same parents and cousins the same grandparents - it might be possible to find out more about your ancestors by looking at the certificates of family members outside of your direct line. For example, you might find more information about your great-great-grandparents on the birth certificates of your great-grandparents brothers and sisters.
Talk to your family and find out if any other members have been researching the family history
The internet is a great way of connecting with other people researching the same family as you.
Research one family line at a time.
For example, you may wish to research your mother’s family and then your father’s – it can be confusing to try to research both at once.
Contacts:
Contact details of Indigenous community organisations such as Land Councils can be found:
- by searching the Yellow Pages
- contacting a local office listed on the internet at
- by using the “Search a corporation” box at
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