Northern Land Council
John Hughes is an experienced professional in law and management, currently serving as Benefits Distribution Manager at the Northern Land Council since July 2021, where the focus is on enhancing support for traditional owners through a newly established Royalties Facilitation and Distribution unit. Prior to this role, John held various executive positions including Chief Executive at both Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation and Bunuwal Investments Pty Ltd, and has extensive experience in the legal field as a Senior Lawyer at Indigenous Business Australia and a Civil Lawyer at North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service. Educational qualifications include an MBA from Imperial College Business School, a Master of Laws from The Australian National University, and undergraduate degrees in law from The University of Western Australia.
This person is not in any offices
Northern Land Council
The Northern Land Council was established in 1973 to represent traditional Aboriginal landowners and Aboriginal people in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. The most important responsibilities of the NLC are to consult with traditional landowners and other Aborigines with an interest in the land. This is to make sure the landowners as a group give their informed consent before the Land Council or a Land Trust enters into any agreement, or takes any action affecting their land. It also ensures that affected Aboriginal communities and groups have the chance to express their views and that land use agreements entered into are reasonable. These principles are fundamental to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. The NLC also acts as a representative body for native title claimants in its area under the Native Title Act 1993.