Confirmation of Indigenous Heritage

 The confirmation form is a certificate that acknowledges that you are known to your community as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. Your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander confirmation form can be asked of you when applying for Indigenous specific services or programs. 

As an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation, the Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good, with its majority board being of First Nations decent and registered corporation under ORIC, can support our local community members to gain confirmation of their First Nations Heritage. 

HOW DO I CONFIRM MY ABORIGINAL AND/OR TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HERITAGE?

The following three ‘criteria’ are used to confirm Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage:
1. Being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent
2. Identifying as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person
3. Being accepted as such by the community in which you live, or formerly lived

HOW DO I MEET THE CRITERIA? 

Knowing your family history is key to obtaining Confirmation of your heritage. To establish that you are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, you must provide a Family Lineage Chart (eg: Family Tree) on the approved forms below. You will need to gather as much information about your family  history and heritage as possible to complete the chart. This can sometimes be challenging. See the attached approved application and contact our team directly if you have any questions. 

WHAT IF I AM UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE? 

 if one, or both, of your natural parents have had their Aboriginality confirmed by DIYDG or other community organisations in the Cairns region, you are automatically eligible for confirmation upon completion of the approved application and your certified evidence provided. Remember, the more information, including; family birth certificates, family trees, etc, the greater the opportunity your application will be successful. 

WHO DETERMINES MY APPLICATION? 

Applications (other than those submitted by persons under 18 years who are automatically eligible for confirmation), are considered by the DIYDG board of directors at our formal bi-monthly board meetings. 

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO PROCESS MY APPLICATION? 

Issuing Confirmations is not the core business of DIYDG and processing applications can take up to 8 weeks. 

WHAT HAPPENS IF MY APPLICATION IS DECLINED? 

Consideration and approval of Confirmations is at the discretion of the DIYDG Board of Directors, who may decline an application for various reasons. In particular, DIYDG cannot issue you with a confirmation if you have not provided enough evidence to establish that you meet the three criteria above. If declined due to insufficient evidence, we will provide you with a brief explanation, so that you can obtain the required details and re-apply. 

To apply for your confirmation today, download the applications below, and submit your request to:

DIYDG Board of Directors

Email: whichway@diydg.org.au 

Post: PO BOX 267, Edgehill, QLD, 4870

Drop off: 3 Jensen Street, Manoora, QLD, 4870