The 16th Annual Native Title Conference is your leading national forum bringing together practitioners, Traditional Owners, advisers, government and industry stakeholders from across the Native Title sector. You will gain a full day exploration of the legal, commercial, and practical issues shaping practice in 2026. From agreement making and compensation to recent court decisions, insights from the ALRC on the Future Acts Regime, heritage protection developments and emerging challenges, this national forum delivers practical guidance, expert analysis, and real world perspectives for those working at the coalface of Native Title.

Presenters

Kate Wilson, Partner, Ashurst
Kate Wilson is a Partner in Ashurst's Risk Advisory practice, advising clients on the practical realities of operating in complex regulatory and stakeholder environments. She brings over 20 years of commercial experience, including more than a decade as a senior manager in industry, and is recognised for her deep expertise in communities and social performance, land access, and ESG risk management. Kate has extensive experience negotiating and implementing agreements with First Nations groups and has built enduring industry partnerships with community organisations to drive meaningful social change. This on-the-ground experience informs her end-to-end understanding of Indigenous procurement - from agreement negotiation through to compliance, reporting, and community capability building. She has worked closely with project teams to deliver multi-billion-dollar projects, and has led complex negotiations with local government and community groups to strengthen social licence to operate for major proponents.


Tess Birch, Senior Associate, Ashurst
Tess Birch is a senior associate in the Ashurst Projects, Energy, Environment and Resources team, which she joined in 2017. Her work focuses on First Nations land access law and agreement making, project approvals and regulatory advice. Tess acts for private sector developers, Government and Traditional Owners across Australia. She is currently working on native title and cultural heritage agreement negotiations for projects in VIC, NSW, SA and WA, including mine developments and expansions, large scale renewables projects (including hydrogen, wind, offshore wind, solar and battery), a desalination plant and water pipeline and gas production. Tess has been closely following the course of Treaty making around Australia and has written a number of articles for the Ashurst Native Title Year in Review on the status of Treaty development.

Kado Muir, Aboriginal Cultural Awareness & Heritage Consulting
Kado Muir is a distinguished Ngalia cultural leader, anthropologist, archaeologist, and entrepreneur from the central deserts of Western Australia. As one of three remaining fluent speakers of the Ngalia language, Kado brings unparalleled authenticity and depth to cultural awareness work. He bridges ancient wisdom with modern economic and technological realities. Kado is a "scholar-practitioner" who speaks both "Boardroom" and "Bush" with equal fluency. Unlike generic cultural awareness programs, Kado's work combines lived experience as a traditional cultural leader with rigorous academic training. His approach addresses real-world challenges and delivers practical, actionable insights backed by decades of successful negotiations and partnerships with corporations, government agencies, and Traditional Owner groups. Kado challenges the paradigm of managing poverty in favor of managing wealth through equity ownership, bringing a unique perspective to conversations about First Nations economic development and environmental justice.


Lauren Garvey, Senior Client Manager, Abbott Native Title Trustees (ANTT)
Lauren is a Chartered Accountant and Manager at Abbott Native Title Trustees (ANTT), with 20 years’ experience working in commercial accounting and financial recovery, focusing on management accounting and reporting across multiple business units and locations. Following a decision to move into the not-for-profit sector, Lauren joined Abbotts/Paperbark in 2023 as a Client Manager. She has extensive experience of managing audits in line with ACNC and ORIC requirements as well as overseeing governance fulfilling the CFO role for a number of clients. Lauren combines a focus on efficiency with strong communication skills to provide high quality client service.


Alex Rorrison, Principal, Meaghan Rorrison Legal & Consulting
Alex has practised exclusively as a native title lawyer for almost 30 years having worked for the Western Australian, Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments and now in a specialist native title practice that he established with co-principal Sue Meaghan. Alex has extensive experience in conducting and resolving native title determination and compensation claims, negotiating a wide range of native title agreements and providing technical and strategic legal advice on native title and related issues. Alex specialises in the emerging area of native title compensation, having been both junior counsel and instructing solicitor in a number of compensation test cases both in the Federal Court and High Court. Alex is recognised nationally as a leading lawyer in the practice of native title law and was included in Doyle's Guide 'Leading Native Title Lawyers – Government & Traditional Owner Bodies – Australia' in 2017 and 2023.


Dr Debbie Fletcher, Director, Fletcher Advisory and Consultancy Services
Over more than 30 years working in native title and Aboriginal cultural heritage, Debbie now works largely as an Independent Board member on a number of Aboriginal corporations. One of her final roles in the WA Government was as the lead negotiator of the Tjiwarl Palyakuwa (Agreement), the first negotiated native title compensation settlement in Australia. Debbie holds a PhD in history and anthropology.

Tessa Herrmann, Barrister, Francis Burt Chambers
Tessa practices predominantly in native title. She also accepts briefs in respect of public and administrative law, resources, and contracts matters. Tessa has considerable experience in native title and compensation applications, and future act, land access and heritage matters. She acts on behalf of clients around Australia, is consistently recognised in the Doyles Guide national list of leading native title barristers, and is an author for Lexis Nexis’ Native Title Service.

Mel Watts, Director, M Watts Legal
Melissa has more than 20 years’ experience practicing in relation to all aspects of resources and land access law, native title and Aboriginal heritage issues. She holds degrees in Law and Commerce from Murdoch University. She was admitted to the Supreme Court of Western Australia and High Court of Australia in 2004. Formerly a partner at a Western Australian law firm, Mel established her own firm, M Watts Legal in August 2013, where she represents a broad range of clients, from traditional owner groups to major mining/petroleum companies, State Government agencies, pastoralists and industry groups.  Mel regularly appears in the National Native title Tribunal Federal Courts and Warden’s Court, as well as providing general legal and strategic lead negotiator services. Mel is recognised both locally and internationally as a leading native title lawyer.  Mel has been twice recognised as “Lawyer of the Year – Native Title Perth” in the Best Lawyers in Australia – (2022) and (2018). She is currently recognised by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Native Title Law, Litigation, Mining and Natural Resources Law, Mel was ranked by Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific Region in 2024 in the practice area of native title.

Lisa Eaton, Member, National Native Title Tribunal
Member Eaton is a diversely experienced and accredited mediator and legal practitioner, with a particular focus on complex and multi-party dispute resolution. First admitted to practice in NSW in 2005, Lisa has focussed her legal practice on native title and administrative law across various States and Territories. In 2019, Lisa was elected to membership of the Western Australia Bar Association, and as counsel has conducted mediation and trial advocacy work nationally, largely in the native title sector. In December 2022, Lisa was appointed as a Member of the National Native Title Tribunal. Prior to this, she also held appointment as an inaugural Member of the National Sports Tribunal.


Rewi Lyall, CEO, Yued Aboriginal Corporation
Rewi Lyall is the Chief Executive Officer of Yued Aboriginal Corporation. In the past year YAC has concluded a Relationship Agreement with Atmos Renewables and the first Noongar Standard Heritage Agreement with a local government authority in the Yued Agreement Area. Prior to this, Rewi represented the interests of Martu as both the Chief Operating Officer and in-house Counsel at Jamukurnu Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation (JYAC). In 2024, Rewi stepped in as the Interim Chief Executive Officer at JYAC. While at JYAC, Rewi oversaw the development of JYAC’s 'Palyaninpa Jimarti Baju (Building Wealth for Martu)' economic development strategy. Rewi is a senior solicitor with a strong background in government and the private sector, specialising in ethical public policy, law and regional and remote development. Rewi’s combines his extensive knowledge of First Nations culture, business and Native Title law with a dedication to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to lead strategies to improve communities, employment and education outcomes.

Robyn Glindemann, Principal and Director, Lantegy Legal
Robyn Glindemann is a projects lawyer with specialist expertise in environmental and aboriginal law. She has 30 years’ experience advising resources and energy companies, Traditional Owner organisations banks and government agencies.  Her practice focuses on strategic environmental advice and agreement making, with an increasing emphasis on the intersection between environmental regulation and the cultural landscape. In 2018, Robyn was appointed by the WA Department of Premier and Cabinet as a member of the Independent Panel reviewing the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Perth and Peel Regions.  In 2024, Robyn was appointed by the Commonwealth Minister for Resources to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority Board and in 2025 was appointed as an Adjunct Senior Teaching Fellow at the School of Law, The University of Western Australia and to the Advisory Board for the Centre for ESG Law and Practice at the College of Law.  Robyn is identified as a leading individual in Climate Change, Planning and Environment, Natural Resources Law, Water Law and Native Title Law in Best Lawyers in Australia and a leading Perth Planning and Environment Lawyer in Doyle’s Guide.  Robyn is also the Consulting Editor for the Australian Environment Review, a LexisNexis Butterworths publication.

Matthew Maxted, General Manager & Delegated Trustee, Abbott Native Title Trustees (ANTT)
Matt joined Abbott Native Title Trustees (ANTT) in 2019, becoming General Manager in July 2022. Matt brings a wealth of experience having spent over 25 years in community and youth focused roles. Much of this time has been spent in senior operational and governance roles within charitable trusts and not-for-profits, with time working for and with a number of Registered Native Title Body Corporates, including as Company Secretary. Matt is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and undertakes Delegated Trustee, Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer roles for trusts and corporations.

James Back, Client Development Manager, Abbott Native Title Trustees (ANTT)
James has recently joined the team, bringing over 28 years of professional experience, as a CEO and Director, shared across Community, Corporate and Aboriginal Organisations. He has delivered strategic and impactful outcomes across various sectors; including health, education, community, corporate, and Indigenous affairs. His strong foundations in executive leadership, strategy, corporate governance and stakeholder engagement, enable him to manage complex issues. His respectful and engaging leadership approach fosters deep, inclusive and participatory relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Sue Meaghan, Principal, Meaghan Rorrison Legal & Consulting
Sue is an experienced policy advisor and legal practitioner, with over 25 years working in the native title sector. Sue’s broad experience includes senior native title policy and leadership roles within both the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments, as well as in-house legal roles for a native title representative body. Sue has also worked as an independent consultant focusing on capacity building, facilitation and community engagement. Sue works with a focus on engagement and partnership approaches to deliver sustainable outcomes. She is also an experienced facilitator and trainer and uses these skills to provide understandable and practical legal advice. Sue has in-depth knowledge of native title law and emerging policy opportunities at a local and national level. Sue was the Institute of Public Affairs Australia (WA)'s Policy Practitioner of the Year in 2022.