1 in 3 Aboriginal Corporations Behind on Reporting Obligations: Registrar

A total of 1,254 Indigenous corporations have failed to submit important reports including financials, despite dealing in millions of dollars.

A mural of the Aboriginal flag adorn a wall in Sydney, Australia, on April 7, 1998. Torsten Blackwood/AFP via Getty Images

More than 1,200 Australian Aboriginal corporations have failed to submit major reports on time, according to data from the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC).

ORIC data shows 1,254 organisations in default, including 26 major corporations, some of which have not lodged financial, general, auditor, or director reports from 2023-24.

Major corporations handle amounts of $5 million or more every year, including revenue from mining royalties and government grants.

Another 195 medium-sized corporations missed at least one form of reporting in the same period, many failing to lodge financial and auditor reports.

Of the 1,033 small corporations, the majority had not lodged general reports, while some had also missed financial and auditor reports.

The number of organisations in default has risen sharply since 2022-23, when 792 corporations failed to lodge at least one required report.

ORIC has placed a banner across its website reminding organisations to submit their reports.

“Our vision is for well-governed and self-determining Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations achieving their economic, social and cultural purpose,” it reads.

As of Aug. 14, the agency said 3,299 Indigenous corporations were fully compliant with report submissions—meaning roughly one in three is behind.

Calls for Accountability

Indigenous leader Warren Mundine told Sky News that non-compliance had been an ongoing problem.

“Plus, where have the millions, billions of dollars gone to?” he said.

“Why haven’t we met the majority of Closing the Gap targets?

“I have advocated for years for audits and governance reform. This has to change today. Because the losers are the Indigenous people who so need these services functioning and delivering.”

In July, the Productivity Commission found that out of 19 socio-economic Closing the Gap targets, only four had met expectations, while several were either stagnant or worsening.

Corporations in Administration

The news comes just days after the Wellington Aboriginal Health Service was placed under special administration by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations registrar Tricia Stroud.

An examination found disputes between the directors had resulted in the board not meeting since March 2025, breaching the corporation’s rule book and disrupting parts of the business operations.

In July, questions were also raised about the capacity of Millewa Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, which was awarded a major native title claim in Victoria despite being in administration.

The group is now the body corporate of an area spanning parts of the Murray River region, including Mildura.