Territory workers to share $200m after Minnie McDonald stolen wages class action settlement

The Commonwealth government could be on the hook for more than $200m in back pay after a class action settlement on wages stolen from Aboriginal Territorians over almost four decades.

Stolen wages class action lead applicant Minnie McDonald and Shine Lawyers associate Harry Tilse. Picture: Supplied

The Commonwealth government could be on the hook for more than $200m in back pay after a class action settlement on wages stolen from Aboriginal Territorians over almost four decades.

Lead applicant Minnie McDonald filed the claim in the Federal Court in 2021 on behalf of herself and thousands of other Indigenous workers who were paid little or no wages between 1933 and 1971 while subject to wage control legislation.

The government has now settled the case with lawyers estimating the payout to reach up to $202m after the agreement is signed off by the court towards the end of this year.

Affected workers and their surviving spouses and children will be able to register to receive compensation from October, with Shine Lawyers to conduct an outreach program to assist Territorians who wish to join.

Reflecting on the milestone, Ms McDonald said it had been “hard when we were growing up”, while living “in the bush” where she had no access to schooling.

“When I was young I started working on stations,” she said.

“I was working with my family — my father, my mother and my brothers were on the station — I later met my husband when working on stations.

“We had nothing and had to live on bush tucker and a bit of bread.

“A lot of those people we worked with are gone now, this is about all the people who were working everywhere and never got paid nothing.”

Shine Lawyers’ Sarah Thomson says an NT stolen wages settlement 'acknowledges the suffering of these workers and their descendants'. Picture: Supplied

Class actions practice leader for Shine Lawyers, which will pocket up to $15m from the settlement in legal costs, Sarah Thomson said the agreement was “a step forward” for the thousands of affected workers.

“This settlement cannot correct the past but it acknowledges the suffering of these workers and their descendants, who have experienced disadvantage because of the Commonwealth legislation in place over many decades which controlled their wages,” she said.

“We are grateful to the lead applicant Minnie McDonald and the witnesses who had the courage to share their stories with the court during the evidence preservation hearings throughout the NT last year.

“It is our hope that a greater understanding of the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the NT during the stolen wages era is a legacy of this class action.

“We acknowledge the Commonwealth government’s efforts in seeking to right a historical wrong and work towards reconciliation.”

Originally published as Territory workers to share $200m after Minnie McDonald stolen wages class action settlement