Australian Government - Rio Tinto NTRB scholarships

The scholarships are administered by the Aurora Project and funded by:

• Rio Tinto plc (RT)
• Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA)
• The Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP).

The 2005 Report identified problems with the recruitment and retention of lawyers to the native title system and in particular to NTRBs. Both the Aurora Native Title Internship Program and the Australian Government - Rio Tinto NTRB Scholarships are contributing to improved recruitment and retention at NTRBs. Initially funded by Rio Tinto, in 2009 the scholarships were renamed the Australian Government - Rio Tinto NTRB Scholarships in recognition of funding provided by the government.

Structure of the Masters of Law program

The Master of Laws (LLM) in Mineral Law and Policy provides students with:

• knowledge of the current legal, policy and economic issues and challenges in mineral resources investment and development
• a comparison of national laws, regulations and contractual arrangements that currently govern the exploitation of mineral resources
• the opportunity to develop sophisticated legal and policy approaches to mineral resource management and sustainable development within the industry
• the skills required to advise the various stakeholders that participate in the industry.

The core subjects cover:

• both the substantive law relating to mining practice and the international and local context of the industry
• the relationships and conflicts between those who are most affected by mining law and policy - mining companies, the state, indigenous peoples, landowners and the local community.

Program requirements include:

• the three core subjects
• elective subjects to specialisation in human rights, investment law, environmental law and project analysis and mining finance.
• a dissertation, PhD proposal or an industry internship.

Program duration:

• Study commences in September for one year of full time study, made up of three terms.
• An internship either at Rio Tinto or with one of its outside counsel during the August holiday period (with some flexibility around timeframe) may be possible depending on exams, coursework and other research commitments.

For more information about the LLM program please visit the University of Dundee's website.

More information : HERE