News and Resources
Record compensation decision for mining related future acts
Big news in native title, with a landmark decision on compensation for future acts. On 12 March 2026, the Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation (YNAC) were awarded around $100,000 for economic loss and $150 million for cultural loss for the effect on their native...
Unreasonable delay in Federal cultural heritage protection decision
The Federal government is on notice that dragging its feet on decisions under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Heritage Protection Act 1984 is unacceptable. This will be relevant to recent high-profile applications such as Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation’s...
Submission to the ALRC future acts review
This was the submission we made on 10 July 2025 to the Australian Law Reform Commission's review of the 'future acts regime'. About Jigsaw Legal Pty Ltd I am the Director and Principal Lawyer at Jigsaw Legal Pty Ltd. I am a lawyer who has worked in native title and...
Future acts shakeup – could the right to negotiate be extended?
ALRC Discussion Paper released The Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) discussion paper on the review of the future acts regime has suggested a major shakeup to the future acts regime under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NTA). Perhaps most significantly, the...
Alternative cultural heritage regime set to apply to Brisbane Olympics venues
The Queensland government has introduced a Bill which would dramatically alter the application of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural heritage legislation for Brisbane Olympics venues, villages and games-related transport infrastructure. Default...
National Native Title Tribunal finds explorer failed to negotiate in good faith
The National Native Title Tribunal has found that an explorer did not negotiate in good faith with registered native title claimants, sending the parties back to the negotiation table. In a recent case[1], Member Cooley considered a future act determination...
Landmark High Court decision on native title compensation
The High Court of Australia has shaken up the native title landscape with an important decision on the Commonwealth’s liability for acts which extinguished native title in Commonwealth of Australia v Yunupingu [2025] HCA 6 (12 March 2025). Until now, the prevailing...
No fees on expedited procedure objections from 1 October
New Regulations under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) which commence on 1 October 2024 herald several small but significant changes in the ‘future acts’ space. Importantly for native title holders and registered claimants, application fees for objections to the...
Deadline extended to 30 September for submissions to the mining lease objections review by the QLRC
The Queensland Law Reform Commission (QLRC) is reviewing the current process for mining lease (ML) and environmental authority (EA) objections in the Land Court. Central to the QLRC’s proposal is to introduce an ‘integrated, non-adversarial participation process’...
Plibersek makes rare declaration under Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Cth)
Declarations under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Cth) (ATSIHP Act) are so rare that it’s easy to forget that this avenue of protection for cultural heritage exists. But last week, Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya...