Fortescue ordered to pay Yindjibarndi traditional owners $150m in record native title payout
Summary
The mining company Fortescue has been ordered by a federal court to pay $150 million to the Yindjibarndi traditional owners for cultural losses caused by the Solomon Hub iron ore mine in Western Australia. This is the largest native title compensation payout in Australian history and follows a long legal fight by the Yindjibarndi people over damage to their land and culture.Key Facts
- Fortescue’s Solomon Hub mine has generated about $80 billion in revenue since 2013.
- The Western Australian government approved the mine without the Yindjibarndi traditional owners’ consent.
- The Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation (YNAC) filed the compensation claim in 2022, initially seeking $1.8 billion.
- The court awarded $150 million for cultural loss and only $100,000 for economic loss.
- The Yindjibarndi people gained exclusive native title rights to the land around the mine in 2017.
- The court found 140 cultural sites completely destroyed and 240 moved off the land.
- The judge described the cultural damage as harming the community’s spirit and soul deeply.
- Fortescue had made deals with a breakaway group to secure land agreements after YNAC refused offered royalties.
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