The Australian Law Reform Commission’s Fulfilling the Promise of Mabo – Reforming the Future Acts Regime final report, tabled in Parliament today, highlights that Traditional Owners are denied equal and fair access to compensation.  

Traditional Owners across Australia are owed compensation in the tens of billions of dollars. If adopted, the recommendations would reform the Act to make it fairer and more just into the future, but the Federal Government will need to use this moment to remedy the past.  

“The report has found that the Native Title Act is discriminatory in the way it deals with our property rights as First Nations people in this country. The current laws have not given us a clear pathway to access the tens of billions of dollars of compensation native title holders are owed across the country,” said Jamie Lowe, CEO of the National Native Title Council.  

“Traditional Owners have watched wealth being extracted from their land at scale, while the compensation they are entitled to has been withheld by governments and mining companies. 

“Traditional Owners want the federal government to demonstrate leadership and come up with more equitable pathways to access compensation owed.  

“These recommendations are a good start. They put forward 86 ways to make the Act more efficient, more accessible, less adversarial and fairer for native title holders. But Eddie Mabo, David and Sam Passi, James Rice and Celuia Salee and the people of Mer didn’t take the Crown to the High Court to get what the Native Title Act gives us. There is unfinished business in the way the Crown treats our property rights. Currently Traditional Owners are left fighting costly legal battles through the courts. 

“Native title holders face significant barriers to accessing compensation. Traditional Owners must navigate complex, costly land analysis, gather extensive evidence, and often spend decades in court. Meanwhile, historical liabilities owed by all levels of government continue to accrue interest. 

  ““This Report arose from the Juukan Gorge Inquiry. The Commission’s substantial review provides 86 recommendations address the economic impact for First Nations communities when our rights are infringed and compensation goes unpaid.  Unpaid compensation represents real, tangible harm in the form of lost economic opportunity and foregone investment options.  

“We want a National Compensation Framework to remove barriers to accessing compensation owed. The Framework would establish clear and consistent standards to compensate native title holders when their rights are impacted. That would deliver greater certainty for both native title rights holders and project proponents,” said Jamie Lowe. 

Media notes: 

Fulfilling the Promise of Mabo: Reforming the Future Acts Regime in the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) 

About the National Native Title Council  

The National Native Title Council (NNTC) is the national representative body for more than 140 Traditional Owner organisations who manage native title rights and interests. More than 50 percent of Australia’s land and sea is covered by a native title determination. Find out more at nntc.com.au. 

MEDIA CONTACT: 

Jessica Kendall 

E: jessica.kendall@nntc.com.au  

M: 0414 679 857