This report investigates longstanding allegations of Indigenous identity appropriation and fraud involving the group known as the Guringai Tribal Link Aboriginal Corporation (GTLAC). It provides detailed evidence that the term “GuriNgai,” as used in the Sydney and Central Coast regions, is a colonial invention rather than a legitimate Indigenous ethnonym. Originally coined by non-Aboriginal ethnographer John Fraser in 1892 and further misapplied by Arthur Capell in the 1970s, the term was never used by traditional custodians of the area. Linguistic and historical data place the genuine Guringay people north of the Hunter River, distinct from those now claiming the identity on the Central Coast.
GTLAC, formed in 2003, claims custodianship of large tracts of land and cultural heritage in NSW and is led by figures including Tracey Howie. The group undertakes commercial activities such as heritage assessments, tours, and cultural education, leveraging its self-declared Aboriginal status. However, these claims are not recognized by key Aboriginal organisations including the Metropolitan and Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Councils, nor by genuine descendants of Bungaree, a prominent Aboriginal leader from the Broken Bay area.
The genealogy used to support GTLAC’s claims of descent from Bungaree has been refuted by anthropological research, particularly the Kwok Report (2015), which found no evidence to link key individuals in GTLAC to Bungaree. The group is accused of manipulating historical documents and falsely claiming lineage. Further evidence suggests that some GTLAC members are aware that their claims are not valid, raising serious concerns about intentional deception.
This appropriation is not symbolic alone. It results in the diversion of resources, including Indigenous-specific scholarships, contracts, and recognition, away from genuine Aboriginal people and communities. The report documents how GTLAC profits from this false identity, participating in high-value cultural assessments and tourism while being publicly discredited by legitimate Indigenous voices.
Indigenous identity in Australia is formally defined through a “three-part test”: descent, self-identification, and community acceptance. GTLAC fails the third and most essential criterion—acceptance by the relevant Indigenous community. Multiple Aboriginal Land Councils and recognised cultural authorities have denounced their claims as fraudulent and dangerous.
The impacts of this identity fraud are broad and severe. These include cultural distortion, financial loss for real Indigenous communities, harm to inter-community cohesion, erosion of trust in identity frameworks, and retraumatisation of Elders forced to justify their authenticity. Some Elders have also faced threats and harassment for speaking out.
The report concludes that Indigenous identity fraud is a form of neocolonial violence. It reflects the ongoing exploitation of Aboriginal culture, resources, and authority by settler Australians using pseudohistorical narratives, spiritual mimicry, and fabricated genealogies. The GTLAC case is a paradigm of this harmful phenomenon.
Key recommendations include:
Formal enforcement of the three-part identity test with greater rigour; support for Indigenous-led genealogical research; specific legal mechanisms to address Indigenous identity fraud as cultural theft; funding Indigenous journalism to expose such cases; and multi-agency collaboration to prevent further abuse.
This case is not about confusion or misinterpretation, but about the deliberate construction of a false Aboriginal identity for financial, social, and political gain. Restoring truth and protecting Indigenous sovereignty requires both institutional accountability and robust cultural verification processes.
Bungaree.org 
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