Indigenous Australians win record A$150m after billionaire mined without permission
Key takeaways
- The verdict amounts to the biggest native title payout ever awarded in Australia, and concludes a protracted legal battle between the Yindjibarndi people and Andrew Forrest's mining company Fortescue.
- Since 2013, Fortescue's mines have generated tens of billions of dollars in revenue by extracting iron ore from Yindjibarndi land in remote north Western Australia.
- The Yindjibarndi group had sought A$1.8bn compensation.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Gavin Butler Getty Images Andrew Forrest is the founder of Fortescue, a mining company that has made billions from mining in Australia's Pilbara region The Indigenous traditional owners of land in north-western Australia have been awarded a record A$150.1 million ($108.3m; £79.9m) payout after a court ruled one of the country's most well-known billionaires mined their land without permission.
The verdict amounts to the biggest native title payout ever awarded in Australia, and concludes a protracted legal battle between the Yindjibarndi people and Andrew Forrest's mining company Fortescue.
Since 2013, Fortescue's mines have generated tens of billions of dollars in revenue by extracting iron ore from Yindjibarndi land in remote north Western Australia.