NATIVE TITLE AND TRUSTEE SERVICES
We’ve developed a range of approaches to trusts establishment and benefit management structures (BMS) which vary depending on the requirements of the Prescribed Body Corporate (PBC), native title and/or outcomes of mining agreements.
Expertise as trustees in Perth, WA and throughout Australia
We specialise in ensuring we establish trusts to suit the requirements of our clients, either as trustees ourselves or by providing support to an aboriginal corporation in its role as trustee. As a leading provider of professional fiduciary administration services and trustee solutions based in Perth, we take the time to travel to country and meet regularly with our clients to ensure that they are the ones who make the decisions about how their trusts operate.
We offer Independent Trustee Services. Our role for each trust varies depending on level of assistance required. Some examples of the services we provide includes:
- Trustee services as trustee, including Land Title Trust administration
- Running a trust on behalf of another trustee as Delegated Trustee
- Executive Office Support to a Trustee either as Delegated Trustee or a service provider. This can incorporate either all aspects of the work or identified tasks
Fundamental to us is the recognition that Aboriginal People have the absolute right to Self Determination including the right to make decisions about their future.
As a proudly Western Australian executor trustee, we deliver trusted and culturally appropriate fiduciary administration service, guided by industry best practices and aligned with national standards. What sets us apart is our commitment to ensuring our approach is shaped by the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. By choosing Abbotts as trustee, members gain a trusted partner with expertise in native title, committed to collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The following principles underpin Abbott’s approach to providing trustee services.
CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE
Ensuring that any structure and process established and implemented is focused on each group and its member’s needs and way of working. Providing the flexibility and opportunity for the distribution of funds to be tailored to the community’s needs, this can include as cash (dependent on the type of trust). To be made in accordance with a well-documented Distribution Policy.
TRANSPARENCY AND STRUCTURES
Distribution of funds received from mining agreements, Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) or other agreements always requires a transparent and well-documented procedure from both a community and contributor perspective.
Abbotts works with independent financial advisors and provides fiduciary administration services to support strong governance. We do not derive any income from the operations of a share portfolio or investments. Once invested, the trust holds those investments on behalf of each client, with Abbotts monitoring and reporting on performance in line with the transparent, perpetual standards expected of Australian executor trustee service providers.
COMPLIANCE
It is important that those who make decisions about payments to beneficiaries have legitimate authority to do so. We provide a clear operating framework and set of governing responsibilities and principles. This enables those involved in trustee to understand and be involved in the decision-making process, and also helps meet and manage both community and contributor expectations.