December 1, 2025
Ten industry leaders met at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Melbourne on 26 November 2025 to progress implementation of leading practice standards to protect First Nations cultural heritage.
BHP, Lendlease, Westpac, ANZ, HESTA, QIC, Silva Capital, Alphinity Investment Management, Tilt Renewables, and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation are piloting the Dhawura Ngilan Business Investor Principles. ‘Dhawura Ngilan’ means ‘Remembering Country’ in the Ngunnawal language. The Principles are designed to protect First Nations cultural heritage in line with First Nations communities’ expectations.
“First Nations cultures, knowledge and traditions benefit all Australians. We are proud to be part of a growing commitment to protect First Nations cultural heritage beyond minimum legislative requirements,” said Cath Brokenborough, Executive Lead, First Nations Engagement, Lendlease, and Chair of the Initiative’s Steering Committee.
The pilots are testing practical ways to apply the Dhawura Ngilan Principles to projects and investment decisions, demonstrating how First Nations-led expertise can guide due diligence, risk management, and support companies to build long-term social licence.
“When industry listens to Traditional Owners and embeds First Nations knowledge in decision-making from the start, we all see better outcomes,” said, Jamie Lowe, CEO of the National Native Title Council (NNTC).
Launched in 2021, the Dhawura Ngilan Business and Investor Initiative is led by the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance, a national coalition that includes Native Title Representative Bodies, Traditional Owner organisations, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), the Coalition of the Peaks, and others. The Alliance has worked in partnership with Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) and UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCNA) to implement the Initiative. It is anchored in the Dhawura Ngilan Vision, a roadmap to enhance the management and protection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage.
“Investors understand the significant risk that the destruction of cultural heritage poses for investments. These pilots are developing the due diligence tools different types of investors need to assess and compare companies and ensure they are engaging appropriately,” said Estelle Parker, Co-CEO of RIAA.
Last week’s meeting brought participants together to discuss progress toward improving approaches to Free, Prior and Informed Consent and consider opportunities to scale the Dhawura Ngilan principles beyond the pilot phase, which will conclude in June 2026.
“Businesses are uniquely placed to drive the shift toward leading practice cultural heritage management. The pilots show us tangibly how that can be done in an investor and business context,” said Kate Dundas, Executive Director, UNGCNA.
