Aborigines seek £150 bn payout over lost territory

ABORIGINAL people in the southwest of Western Australia have filed a compensation claim for more than £150 billion.

The Noongar nation said yesterday it was pursuing the payout – equivalent to just under a quarter of Australia’s annual GDP – against the state government for “spiritual damage” caused by the loss of their land.

Fourteen years ago, the Federal Court of Australia recognised the native title of the Noongar people over Perth and the surrounding area.

The state and federal governments appealed against the decision and in 2008 the Full Federal Court upheld parts of the appeal, but continued to recognise Noongar’s native title over 19.7million hectares – almost 5million hectares larger than England and Wales.

Despite the court recognition, Noongar people’s rights to the majority of this land had been “extinguished” because it was used as government land, or for commercial, residential, agricultural or mining purposes.

Australia’s native title system is far more restrictive than similar nations such as Canada, the US or New Zealand.

The figure of Aud$290billion was determined by a High Court precedent set by a Northern Territory Aboriginal group, which secured $15,000 per hectare for 170 hectares of land in March.

Naomi Smith, the lead claimant, said the Noongar had been struggling since British conquest, when they lost access to their land. She said the claim sought reimbursement for the extinguishment of their native title rights over almost all of their country.

David Stevenson, her solicitor, said it was “far and away” the largest claim made in Australia.