Land and Sea Aboriginal Corporation Tasmania (LSACT) was established in 2021 under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (CATSI Act) and represents the members of the Tasmanian Regional Aboriginal Communities Alliance (TRACA). LSACT is a Registered Charity with an established business structure to pursue commercial activities, under the business name of Tasmanian Aboriginal Seafoods.

This membership model ensures that LSACT represents a diversity of geographic regions and community-controlled organisations, allowing them to leverage and share cultural knowledge and common goals.

Goals

To build cultural and economic prosperity and sustainability for Tasmanian Aboriginal people across fisheries and Sea Country, including actively supporting community enterprises and creating meaningful employment opportunities on Country.

“Having Alicia [CED Manager] makes us more assured in that space [of business and advocacy]. We need to evolve and make sure we have the skill set needed. As the complexity continues, the need and reliance [on Many Rivers’ support] doesn’t diminish.”

“It’s about setting the foundations for the next generation and protecting assets. It’s taken too much blood, sweat and tears to get to this point… we all have a strong personal connection to the abalone, to the fisheries.”

“We want to empower regional areas where there is resource and ability – a family could have a boat and a fishing license and earn a living. This has been dismantled by corporate and the chasing of the dollar.”

– Land and Sea Aboriginal Corporation Tasmania (LSACT)

Example economic projects: Land and Sea Aboriginal Corporation Tasmania (LSACT)

LSACT participates in community events and enables community access to cultural foods, such as abalone. The organisation has also commenced the ‘Wave to Plate’ program – a traineeship program aimed to create a supported environment for Tasmanian Aboriginal people to access employment opportunities and succeed in Sea Country industries such as maritime, fisheries, hospitality and tourism.

LSACT actively works with the Tasmanian government and aims to strengthen their advocacy role in the health of Indigenous fisheries and sea country.

LSACT’s key assets are owned and leased abalone quota units in Tasmanian Sea country, which allow them to ensure sustainable fishing practices (i.e. avoiding spawning season) and ways of looking after sea country.