Good morning, and welcome to The Briefing.
Two federal court rulings have handed major victories to traditional owners in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Yesterday the court granted exclusive native title over 2700 square kilometres of land in the Pilbara to the Yindjibarndi people, ending a 14-year legal action and potentially allowing the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation to seek compensation from mining company Fortescue Metals Group. The federal court also largely upheld an August decision which awarded $3.3 million in compensation to the Ngaliwurru and Nungali custodians of Timber Creek in the NT, ending a seven-year legal battle and setting precedent on how to compensate traditional owners who have lost native title rights.
Read more here
Alex McKinnon, The Saturday Paper
