About the Centre for Native Title Anthropology (CNTA)

The CNTA is a unit within the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland. CNTA has been awarded successive grants since 2010 by the Department of the Attorney General to deliver professional development to anthropologists working in the native title arena.

CNTA now has three Directors. From 18 August 2025, Dr Richard Martin, Senior Lecturer (Anthropology) and Consultant Anthropologist at The University of Queensland, Dr Kim de Rijke, Senior Lecturer (Anthropology) and Consultant Anthropologist at The University of Queensland and Wendy Asche, Manager, Northern Land Council.

Dr Richard Martin

Dr Richard Martin

Dr Richard Martin is a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at The University of Queensland and co-Director of the Centre for Native Title Anthropology. His research explores the intersections of law, history, and culture in Australia, with a focus on Indigenous rights, native title, and the anthropology of colonialism.

Dr Martin has authored numerous expert reports for native title claims and provided expert evidence in the Federal Court in cases such as Rainbow on behalf of the Kurtjar People (No 2) [2021] FCA 1251 and Malone on behalf of the Western Kangoulu People v State of Queensland (No 6) [2025] FCA 363. Dr Martin has also reviewed anthropological materials for respondent parties in native title proceedings.

His work has been widely published in leading anthropology journals. His monograph The Gulf Country: The Story of People and Place in Outback Queensland (Allen & Unwin, 2019) offers a critical history of Aboriginal-pastoral relations and regional change in northern Australia. He is currently undertaking research about compensation for harm to culture and cultural loss funded by a UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award (2024) and an ARC Discovery Project Award (2025-28).

Dr Kim de Rijke

Dr Kim de Rijke

Dr Kim de Rijke is a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Queensland and co-Director of the Centre for Native Title Anthropology. His academic research addresses environmental relations, senses of place, and the sociocultural dimensions of resource extraction, with a particular focus over the last decade on contested unconventional gas developments in Australia.

Alongside his academic research, Dr de Rijke has undertaken 22 years of research on native title and heritage, working initially as Managing Anthropologist at the Kimberley Land Council and as Senior Anthropologist at the Central Queensland Land Council. He has provided expert evidence in the Federal Court on native title and has been engaged in attempts to resolve disputes about group membership and contested connections in the context of Indigenous Land Use Agreements. He teaches undergraduate environmental anthropology, ethnographic fieldwork and social impact assessment, and is currently also the Director of Higher Degree by Research at the UQ School of Social Science.

His work has been published in a range of journals and volumes, including interdisciplinary outlets, and his work on energy has been referred to in national and international energy policy reviews.

Testimonials

  • AnnMarie Volpe, CYLC

    I’ve really enjoyed the CNTA virtual workshops, and I will definitely be keen to participate in future things online.

  • Premila Foster, CLC

    I highly recommend a guided Writing and Research placement to any new or experienced anthropologist who wants to inform their own practice and make sense of what they are doing from a wider academic standpoint.

  • Courtney Boag, First Nations Legal & Research Services

    Thank you for facilitating and fostering such a close and likeminded community of anthropologists, it’s lovely to be a part of something like the CNTA.

  • Jodi Neale, Consultant Anthropologist

    Just wanted to say that the Soundcloud innovation making all these presentations available to those off-site and online, as well as into the future is really great.

  • Pascale Taplin, Research Manager, CYLC

    I wanted to extend our thanks on behalf of the CYLC anthropology team for your presentation last week. My team has spoken of it several times since. We all learned different things and I think you pitched it just right for the audience.

  • Joyce Gehr, CYLC

    The workshops have been great! Definitely a highlight during this time. We were all really glad we could have them virtually. Having them spread out has also allowed the team to contemplate and consider ideas and have deeper discussions that might not have happened over a 2 day conference due to speaker saturation

  • Diane Smith, CAEPR

    The podcasts give a great wealth of advice and expertise offered to up and coming (and older) anthropologists!