SYDNEY, Aug. 26 — The state government of Western Australia (WA) said on Wednesday that it will appeal a compensation ruling against mining giant Fortescue over iron ore mines that were built without the permission of Aboriginal traditional owners.
The Federal Court in May ordered Fortescue to pay the Yindjibarndi people of WA’s northern Pilbara region 150.3 million Australian dollars (107.9 million U.S. dollars) for cultural and economic losses caused by four iron ore mines that were built without permission from the Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation (YNAC).
WA’s Attorney-General Tony Buti said on Wednesday that the state government was supportive of the Yindjibarndi receiving compensation from Fortescue, but would appeal the decision to seek legal clarity regarding Indigenous native title cases.
“Native title compensation is a complex and emerging area, and it is important that we have clarity on the law to support future negotiations and native title settlements across the state,” he said.
The Federal Court found that Fortescue’s Solomon Hub had destroyed 124 culturally significant sites and severely compromised many more.
The Yindjibarndi originally sought 1.8 billion AUD (1.3 billion USD) in compensation, while lawyers for Fortescue argued that compensation should be limited to 8.1 million AUD (5.8 million USD).
The Yindjibarndi people in July voted unanimously to lodge their own appeal against the compensation figure. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
