Andrew Forrest's Fortescue appeals $150m native title compensation
Fortescue is the third group to appeal against a record Federal Court award of $150.3 million to traditional owners. Both the Yindjibarndi people and the WA government have lodged filings of their own.
Fortescue, the mining company owned by billionaire Andrew Forrest, has become the latest party to appeal a $150.3 million native title compensation award ordered by the Federal Court. The company previously paid the full compensation within 24 hours, but maintains it wants to resolve the long-running dispute. The Yindjibarndi people, who own about 135 square kilometres of land on which Fortescue's Solomon Hub operates, and the Western Australian government have both lodged appeals against the landmark legal judgment.
The court found Fortescue liable for $150 million in cultural losses and $150,000 in economic losses, plus compound interest. The Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation has a goal of pushing the compensation figure closer to their initial claim of $1.8 billion, or applying an industry-standard royalty rate. Meanwhile, the Western Australian government's appeal follows a similar approach to their original case, disputing nearly every aspect of Justice Burley's judgement.
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