March
High Court expands native title rights in historic ruling
The High Court unanimously ruled that the extinguishment of native title rights should attract compensation under “just terms” from the federal government.
November 2024
Jamie Oliver’s editors should have seen this scandal coming
British publishers are scratching their heads as to how Penguin Random House UK could have left the celebrity chef’s kids’ book exposed to an A-grade furore.
October 2024
Hawks’ racism defence claims footballer ‘appeared drunk’
The AFL has lodged its court defence in the long-running saga of discrimination allegations against former senior figures Alastair Clarkson, Chris Fagan and Jason Burt.
Business elite reaps the rewards of stolen wages cases
There’s a certain irony, and sadness, that it takes a rapacious firm looking to “maximise returns” for its wealthy backers to get governments to empty their pockets.
August 2024
AFL stars detail Hawthorn’s alleged racism in court papers
Cyril Rioli, who played in four premierships at the Hawks under former coach Alastair Clarkson, is the lead applicant in a statement of claim lodged in the Federal Court.
June 2024
Why there are calls for reform after 30 years of native title
This week on The Fin podcast, Peter Ker and Ronald Mizen explore whether the native title regime is delivering for Indigenous Australians.
Labor urged to fund native title groups, stop ‘divisive’ activists
The National Native Title Council wants Labor to provide base-level funding to native title groups and change the laws to stop NGO activists.
Heritage ‘price gouging’ strains miners and native title groups
Archaeologists and anthropologists have been accused of “ripping off” native title groups and miners, and driving a sharp rise in the cost of heritage surveys
Ignorance rather than greed behind Sandfire’s Indigenous blunder
An investigation conducted by Gilbert + Tobin concluded there was a “clear failure” by the copper producer’s former management to understand “ESG obligations”.
Give native title trust fund billions to the Future Fund: Pearson
Cape York Indigenous leader Noel Pearson says existing structures often involve opaque discretionary trusts that either lock up money too tightly or suffer from the funds being squandered and not invested wisely.
Labor launches review into native title ‘inequality and unfairness’
The review will look into the limitations on native title land being used for economic development and how to support consensus among traditional owner groups.
What can Indigenous groups do with native title?
Unlike native title rights in other countries, the Mabo decision provided only a limited bundle of rights that must be tied back to a group’s traditional laws and customs. Here’s how it works.
‘Disgraceful’ government neglect costs Indigenous funds $1b
Two big government funds set up to benefit Indigenous people without native title rights were shackled for decades by the investment equivalent of stuffing money under a mattress.
How the High Court ‘stunned’ Eddie Mabo’s lawyers and saved the case
Three decades later, members of Mabo case’s legal team reflect on the moment that turned their approach to the historic land rights case.
‘Land rich, dirt poor’: Price calls for native title reforms
Senator Price said while well-meaning, laws needed to change to encourage private homeownership on native title land as well as more business creation, including Aboriginal owned mines.
Mabo hasn’t closed the gap, even in the Pilbara
Two of the lawyers behind the landmark claim by land rights activist Eddie Mabo say native title “hasn’t spread the wealth evenly”.
Call to reform Mabo’s $1b native title dividend
Native title groups hosting Australia’s iron ore industry are holding more than $1 billion of net assets in trusts, but after 32 years of the native title regime, there is little to show for the vast majority of Indigenous Australians.
May 2024
The great success story of Indigenous enterprise is missing
Indigenous businesses have proven robust and resilient against all the odds – that should be included in the Closing the Gap reports as well.
February 2024
‘Bureaucratic gobbledegook’ holding up Closing the Gap
Indigenous policy researcher Michael Dillon says state and federal governments are flooding their Closing the Gap reports with a ‘grab bag’ of information.
January 2024
‘What not to do’: Gas project ruling a lesson for lawyers
The Federal Court’s ruling will “make it more difficult” to bring similar claims, but lawyers will seek to refine evidence in future cases.