The struggle by many of the Yindjibarndi people based in Roebourne, WA for what they consider to be a fair settlement for the mining of iron ore on their claimed land exposes some critical weaknesses in Federal native title law, in state heritage laws, and in the overall governance of resource extraction in this country. The long-running dispute in fact involves three parties: the majority of the Yindjibarndi people who are represented by the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC), Fortescue, and a minority group known as the Wirlu-murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (WYAC), which has sided with Fortescue and has received undisclosed funding and support. The dispute has emerged as a highly litigious affair and one that has divided the Roebourne community. In this seminar, Paul Cleary will outline the extent of the legal leverage being used against YAC and highlight how the legal framework fails to protect Indigenous interests who face corporate encroachment.

Paul Cleary is a PhD research scholar at CAEPR and the author of Too Much Luck--the Mining Boom and Australia's Future.