The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) aids the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations in administering the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (“CATSI Act”), as well as assisting and regulating Indigenous co-supporting and regulating corporations for Indigenous people throughout Australia. The Corporations Act 2001 is analogous to the CATSI Act.
The Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, formerly the Registrar of Aboriginal Corporations (1977–2007) and the Registrar of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations (2007–1 May 2008), is a statutory office of the Australian Government appointed by the Minister for Indigenous Australians under the CATSI Act. For corporations registered at the national level by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons in Australia, the Registrar has similar powers to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Selwyn Button is the Registrar as of May 2021. ORIC is responsible for allocating and maintaining a public registry of Indigenous Corporation Numbers (ICNs).
ORIC regulates and offers support services to corporations registered under the CATSI Act, at the Registrar’s direction.
- offer information and advice
- assist businesses in adhering to the law and intervene only when necessary or when invited
- provide corporate governance training that is both accredited and non-accredited
- provide services, such as:
- a call center—for free, quick, and easy access to ORIC staff »LawHelp—a free legal service for not-for-profit corporations
- Corporation positions and ORIC Recruitment Assistance (ORA) —to assist in identifying the best candidate and preparing a customized employment contract
- Independent directory—a service matching independent directors to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations
- Online filing—for the convenience of submitting general reports
- a dispute management process—to help solve corporation difficulties before they get out of hand.
Register of the public ORIC provides a public register of registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations under the CATSI Act. This is useful if you wish to check out information about a registered corporation, such as its name, Indigenous corporation number (ICN), date of registration, and contact person’s or secretary’s name and address. Additionally, the public register enables you to access critical public papers, such as a corporation’s bylaws and annual reports. The register can be searched at www.oric.gov.au.
