00:02Gudanji, Yanyuwa and Yanyuamara country, southeast of Darwin, home to one of Australia's
00:08largest mining operations, long a controversial one, and now just the second successful native
00:15title compensation claim in the country. The establishment of the MacArthur River mine,
00:20the later expansion, and the highly controversial diversion of the river
00:25caused both economic and spiritual loss, according to the federal court's findings today.
00:31Justice Katrina Banks-Smith said this diminution of traditional connection to country,
00:37to receive from country and to take care of country, is compensable loss. It's been endured
00:44by this claim group for over 30 years and continues. The country's second native title
00:51compensation decision comes seven years after the first in the landmark Timber Creek case,
00:56but today's involves much greater sums. Economic loss was put at just under $750,000, which may yet
01:05be disputed, but the $54 million valuation of spiritual loss will be noted by native title
01:12groups, governments and private industry elsewhere. It'll be something that many people will kind of
01:18turn their minds to as far as to judgment and what that means as precedent across the country,
01:23being under the second of its nature. It's something that we believe is a federation of government
01:30issue, rather than kind of left up to this case by case situation, state by state, territory by territory,
01:39the arduous and traumatic process that communities are taking through the court process.
01:44For the MacArthur River claimants, today's victory is bittersweet, with Godanji woman Josie Davey
01:50saying that after years of fighting, her country is just getting damaged and will continue to be
01:56damaged. It makes me feel proud that this outcome might help other mob across the country with their
02:02fight, she said. The Northern Territory Government is yet to comment on today's decision.
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