Indigenous benefits management structures as social enterprises: key challenges for economic development

Indigenous benefits management structures (BMSs) manage and distribute assets arising from land-use agreements. Land-use agreements between Indigenous groups and resource proponents seek to achieve practical recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights, culture and significance, as well as certainty over land rights. They thus present key social, economic and cultural opportunities and risks for Indigenous people and for resource proponents. This article focuses on key challenges (and potential policy responses) to pursuing Indigenous economic development through BMSs that arise from their social enterprise nature, as reflected in the Australian context by the pervasive use of for-purpose charities within BMSs.