A landmark ruling in the high court has opened the door for a new approach to compensation for native title holders. The decision follows a legal battle first lodged nearly seven years ago over the extinguishment of native title over an area of the Gove peninsula north-east Arnhem land.
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00:00Bringing home a brother's dream, Jawa and Balupalu Yunupingu travelled to Canberra for
00:08today's ruling, but it was their late brother, Galura Yunupingu, who set the wheels in motion.
00:13He was the one that had the vision.
00:18This decision applies to the whole of the Northern Territory, and Aboriginal people
00:22across the Northern Territory can celebrate today.
00:25Since the 1960s, the Goumach clan has been seeking compensation.
00:29Their native title rights were lost due to a mining lease on the Gove Peninsula.
00:35Today's ruling means they're eligible for just terms compensation under the Constitution.
00:40It's a major shift in a long game.
00:43The decision is, of course, not a final decision.
00:48There'll be a whole court process arising out of this.
00:53We allow legal processes to take their course.
00:56What we need to do is work together as a group, as a community, to make sure the Territory
01:00is the best place to live, work and invest.
01:03There's still much work to be done.
01:05Attention will now turn to determining exactly what just terms means in this context.
01:11And there's an entire native title claim to be resolved, which is likely to include other
01:17groups.
01:18Today, though, the Goumach clan is celebrating.
01:21For the future of my people and our children and their children.
01:28One more legal hurdle cleared on the way to that future.