Archaeologists working for Fortescue and an Indigenous group they’re combating in courtroom have accused the mining large of destroying greater than 100 heritage websites.
For 15 years, the Yindjibarndi individuals have been battling iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group, the corporate based by billionaire Andrew Forrest.
Some Conventional Homeowners in Western Australia’s northwest say the rifts between household and neighborhood members triggered by the dispute might by no means heal.
Among the many stoushes is a long-running compensation struggle, which briefly returned to the Federal Court docket final week.
An skilled report accepted into proof discovered 249 websites throughout the mine footprint had been protected beneath the State Aboriginal Heritage Act, which implies they are often destroyed or broken.
Greater than half of these websites, the place people had been residing 40,000-45,000 years in the past, have been destroyed.
The joint report was produced by Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Company’s archaeologists Peter Veth and Caroline Chicken, and Fortescue’s skilled Douglas Williams.
The trio agreed {that a} extra detailed investigation might have been accomplished to mitigate the lack of some websites.
The report additionally discovered that Fortescue may need been capable of exploit weaknesses within the WA authorities’s administration of Aboriginal heritage.
Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Company is suing Fortescue and the WA authorities for mining on the Solomon Hub since 2013 with out consent.
About 75 per cent of the mine’s 400 sq. kilometre footprint, an space the dimensions of Darwin, extends throughout the Yindjibarndi native title willpower space.
Fortescue mentioned it was dedicated to seeing the courtroom case settled so all of the Yindjibarndi individuals may benefit.
“Fortescue has supplied compensation to the Yindjibarndi individuals previously and we proceed to be able to settle this by paying compensation,” a spokeswoman mentioned.
“Fortescue pays monetary compensation as a part of all seven of our native title agreements.”
The Solomon Hub within the Hamersley Ranges is 60km north of Tom Value within the Pilbara.
