Aboriginal group seeks $1.1bn in damages over Australia mining project
Al JazeeraFEB 18
Aboriginal Group Seeks $1.15B From Western Australia
Above: Fortescue Metals Group's Solomon Hub mining operations in the Pilbara region, Australia. Image copyright: Brendon Thorne/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The mining operations have caused existential damage to the Yindjibarndi people by destroying pristine land and cultural heritage sites, effectively extinguishing native title rights, and creating irreparable harm that no rehabilitation can restore. The government must pay the damages for authorizing an iron ore project on its ancestral land without a land use deal.
Narrative B
Fortescue accepts that the Yindjibarndi people are entitled to compensation. However, fair compensation should reflect what the Australian community would consider reasonable. The claim shouldn't be treated as a renewal or rehash of the claim for the determination of native title rights, as their evidence extends beyond representing the loss caused by the grant of the mining tenements.