Rather than populating organisations that are created for them by government, the MLDRIN traditional owners have come up with their own organisational approach. By organising themselves along the lines of traditional authority, they are seeking to consolidate their political identity, and build their governance capacity to take care of their Nation and country. The traditional owners are determining a form of engagement with government that is more meaningful to them, and thus potentially more resilient.

However, the rhetoric of a distinct and separate traditional authority is problematic and can expose the alliance to criticism. Native title has a problematic influence in this regard. Instead of fostering a more sophisticated understanding of Indigenous identity, the influence of native title has been to generate a lot of tension over the understanding of ‘tradition’, and has sought to fix Indigenous peoples’ identity. The capacity of MLDRIN to negotiate this complexity and make agreements with government, reflects the capacity and power of the Nations to assert their rights in their own way, rather than through native title claims.