The late Yunupingu has won a “significant” native title court battle that could expose the federal government to a slew of compensation cases over land it acquired in the Northern Territory, with his claim alone estimated to be worth as much as $700 million.

The full Federal Court on Monday found that the Commonwealth had acquired the land of the Gumatj people and several other clans without their consent when it granted a mining licence to Nabalco in 1968.