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Australian Government - Rio Tinto NTRB Scholarships

The NTRB Lawyer Professional Development Project was established in early 2004 through the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University and published a report into the professional development needs of Native Title Representative Body lawyers in April 2005 (known as "the April 2005 Report"). The report identified significant problems in recruitment and retention of lawyers at Australia's Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) and Native Title Service Providers (NTSPs) and went on to outline 17 strategies to address these problems.

Until June 2006, the only funding for these programs was through Rio Tinto.  In June 2006, the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) engaged Monash University to deliver a range of services relating to staff development, support and other services for NTRBs.  By this stage, the Native Title Professional Development Project had been renamed as the “Aurora Project”. 

As a result of the analysis in the April 2005 Report, one of the outcomes was the establishment of the Rio Tinto NTRB Scholarships, which act both as a retention device for lawyers already in the NTRB system and as a recruiting device to bring experienced, talented lawyers into the system. Initially the scholarships were funded in total by Rio Tinto, with some of the financial burden being shared by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2008, the UK Government withdrew their financial support and, in 2009, FaHCSIA came on board to take up the funding shortfall. The scholarships have consequently been renamed the Australian Government-Rio Tinto NTRB Scholarships.

Each year two postgraduate scholarships leading to a Master of Laws (LLM) in Mineral Law and Policy at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) at the University of Dundee, Scotland are available. The scholarships are funded by Rio Tinto plc (RT), Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA and the Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), and administered by the Aurora Project.

The CEPMLP was established in 1977 and is now regarded as one of the leading graduate institutions in teaching and research in natural resources, energy and the environment. The Centre’s international focus and reputation is reflected in its large number of international students and honorary faculty members. There are currently more than 250 postgraduate students from over 50 countries studying at the CEPMLP, and 90 honorary staff from leading energy law firms and academia. Rio Tinto, FaHCSIA and the CEPMLP share a commitment to the promotion of a transparent rule of law-based environment for mineral policy development worldwide. All three partners believe that such an environment will be facilitated by a better understanding between industry, governments and the academic sectors.

For further information about the scholarships contact the scholarships team on (02) 9469 8113 or click here to email the Scholarships Team.

Applications for the 2011/2012 round will open in February 2011.