Western Australia to compensate Aboriginal group for historic mining damage

Bellevue Gold

25/05/2023 02:25

By Melanie Burton
       MELBOURNE, May 25 (Reuters) - Western Australia state
has agreed to compensate an Aboriginal group for historic acts
including issuing mining leases on their traditional lands,
setting a precedent that is set to allow Indigenous groups a
greater say in future developments.
    The state has been strengthening its laws to protect
Indigenous cultural heritage since iron ore mining operations by
 Rio Tinto three years ago destroyed historic rock shelters that
showed human habitation dating back 46,000 years.   
    The Western Australian government said it had reached a
"historic settlement" with the Tjiwarl people of the state's
northern Goldfield's region for three native title compensation
claims and had finalised an agreement for land use in future.
    The state will pay the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation A$25.5
million ($17.3 million) for acts such as approving roads and
issuing leases that damaged or destroyed the group's legal
rights over their traditional lands.
    The new agreement sets out a greater say for the Tjiwarl on
future developments by miners and others on issues including 
water management and mining or petroleum leases, and removes the
need for future compensation claims. It also returns some land
parcels to Tjiwarl and expands the group's conservation area.
     Bellevue Gold  BGL.AX  and lithium developer Liontown
Resources Ltd  LTR.AX , which operate on Tjiwarl lands were
involved in the compensation litigation. 
        BHP Group  BHP.AX , which declined to comment, struck a
land use agreement in 2018 for its nickel operations and was not
part of the settlement. Its Mt Keith and Leinster nickel
operations are on Tjiwarl lands. 
        Comment was being sought from Bellevue and Liontown.   
        "(The agreement) lays the foundation for a strong
relationship between the WA Government and Tjiwarl Native Title
holders into the future," the state government said in a
statement late on Wednesday. 
     Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation was pleased to have reached
the settlement, Chief Executive Greg Ryan-Gadsden said in a
statement. 
    "We are hopeful it provides a foundation to guide other
native title groups to reach similar outcomes."
    Lawyer Malcolm O’Dell of Central Desert Native Title
Services, who was involved in the negotiations, almost all the
mining parties who may have had a liability as part of the
original compensation claim have now settled that liability. 
($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)

 (Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
 ((melanie.burton@thomsonreuters.com Twitter: @MelanieMetals;
+613 9286 1421; Reuters Messaging:
melanie.burton.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))