| Jurluba v Northern Territory of Australia [2015] FCA 1248
Between:
NOEL DIXON JURLUBA, BRIAN JOHNSON, TOMMY ELLIS, ANTHONY LANSEN, RONNIE RAGGETT AND SAMUEL MARCHANT ON BEHALF OF THE GALAURRUNA (RRUMBURRIYA), PUZZLE CREEK (MAMBALIYA), WELGUTJARA (WUYALIYA/WURDALIYA) AND WARRGI (WURDALIYA) ESTATE GROUPS (applicants);
and
NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA, ARMOUR ENERGY LIMITED, RIPPLE RESOURCES PTY LTD and OCEANIC CATTLE STATIONS (AUST) PTY LTD AS TRUSTEE FOR THE KIANA FARM UNIT TRUST (respondents).
Judge: Mansfield J
Where made: Borroloola
Determination:
Native title exists in parts of the determination area. It consists of non-exclusive native title rights.
Native title is held by the following estate groups:
- Gulaurruna (Rrumburriya) Gudanji estate group
- Puzzle Creek (Mambaliya) Gudanji estate group
- Welgutjara (Wuyaliya/Wurdaliya) Garrwa estate group
- Warrgi (Wuyaliya) Gudanji estate group.
Native title rights in respect of the Determination Area consist of the following rights:
Rights of the estate groups
- the right to travel over, to move about and to have access to those areas;
- the right to hunt and to fish on the land and waters of those areas;
- the right to gather and to use the natural resources of those areas such as food, medicinal plants, wild tobacco, timber, stone and resin;
- the right to take and to use the natural water on those areas, and for the sake of clarity and the avoidance of doubt this right does not include the right to take or use water captured by the holders of Perpetual Pastoral Lease No. 1065;
- the right to live, to camp and for that purpose to erect shelters and other structures on those areas;
- the right to light fires on those areas for domestic purposes, but not for the clearance of vegetation;
- the right to conduct and to participate in the following activities on those areas:
(i) cultural activities;
(ii) cultural practices relating to birth and death, including burial rites;
(iii) ceremonies;
(iv) meetings;
(v) teaching the physical and spiritual attributes of sites and places on those areas that are of significance under their traditional laws and customs;
- the right to maintain and to protect sites and places on those areas that are of significance under their traditional laws and customs;
- the right to share or exchange subsistence and other traditional resources obtained on or from those areas;
- the right to be accompanied on to those areas by persons who, though not native title holders, are:
(i) people required by traditional law and custom for the performance of ceremonies or cultural activities on the areas;
(ii) people who have rights in relation to the areas according to the traditional laws and customs acknowledged by the estate group members;
(iii) people required by the estate group members to assist in, observe, or record traditional activities on the areas;
- the right to conduct activities necessary to give effect to the rights referred to above.
Rights of other Aboriginal people
In accordance with traditional laws and customs, other Aboriginal people have native title rights and interests in respect of the Determination Area, subject to the native title rights and interests of the estate group members, such people being:
(a) members of estate groups from neighbouring estates;
(b) spouses of the estate group members.
The individuals referred to in paras (a) and (b) above have the following rights and interests:
- the right to travel over, to move about and to have access to those areas;
- the right to hunt and to fish on the land and waters of those areas;
- the right to gather and to use the natural resources of those areas such as food, medicinal plants, wild tobacco, timber, stone and resin;
- the right to take and to use the natural water on those areas, and for the sake of clarity and the avoidance of doubt this right does not include the right to take or use water captured by the holders of Pastoral Lease No. 1065;
- the right to camp on those areas;
- the right to light fires on those areas for domestic purposes, but not for the clearance of vegetation;
- the right to conduct activities necessary to give effect to the rights referred to above.
The native title rights and interests do not confer on the native title holders possession, occupation, use and enjoyment of those parts of the Determination Area to the exclusion of all others.
The native title rights and interests are subject to and exercisable in accordance with:
- the traditional laws and customs of the native title holders for personal or communal needs which are of a domestic or subsistence nature and not for any commercial or business purpose;
- the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia
There are no native title rights in or in relation to:
- minerals (as defined in s 2 of the Minerals (Acquisition) Act (NT));
- petroleum (as defined in s 5 of the Petroleum Act (NT));
- prescribed substances (as defined in s 3 of the Atomic Energy (Control of Materials) Act 1946 (Cth) and/or s 5(1) of the Atomic Energy Act 1953 (Cth)),
in the Determination Area.
Non-native title rights and interests that exist within the determination area:
(a) in relation to NT Portion 1164:
(i) the interests of Oceanic Cattle Stations (AUST) Pty Ltd as trustee for the Kiana Farm Unit Trust under Perpetual Pastoral Lease No. 1065;
(ii) the interests of the Kiana Aboriginal Corporation as the registered sublessee of Proposed NT Portion 5768A;
(b) the rights and interests of Telstra Corporation Limited:
(i) as the owner or operator of telecommunications facilities within the Determination Area;
(ii) created pursuant to the Post and Telegraph Act 1901 (Cth), the
Telecommunications Act 1975 (Cth), the Australian Telecommunications Corporation Act 1989 (Cth), the
Telecommunications Act 1991 (Cth) and the Telecommunications Act 1997 (Cth), including rights:
(A) to inspect land;
(B) to install and operate telecommunications facilities; and
(C) to alter, remove, replace, maintain, repair and ensure the proper functioning of its telecommunications facilities;
(iii) for its employees, agents or contractors to access its telecommunications facilities in and in the vicinity of the Determination Area in the performance of their duties;
(iv) under any lease, license, access agreement or easement relating to its telecommunications facilities in the Determination Area;
(c) the rights of Aboriginal persons (whether or not native title holders) pursuant to the reservation in favour of
Aboriginal peoples contained in Perpetual Pastoral Lease No. 1065 and ss 38(2) of the Pastoral Land Act (NT);
(d)the rights of Aboriginal persons (whether or not native title holders) pursuant to the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act (NT);
(d) rights of access by an employee, servant, agent or instrumentality of the Northern Territory or Commonwealth, or other statutory authority as required in the performance of statutory duties;
(e) the interests of persons to whom valid and validated rights and interests have been:
(i) granted by the Crown pursuant to statute or otherwise in the exercise of executive power; or
(ii) otherwise conferred by statute;
(f) the following interests granted under the Mineral Titles Act (NT) and the
Petroleum Act (NT), depicted in Schedule E:
(i) Exploration Licence Title No. 30077 granted on 9 May 2014;
(ii) Exploration Licence Title No. 30085 granted on 11 April 2014;
(iii) Exploration Licence Title No. 27175 granted on 28 September 2009;
(iv) Exploration Licence Title No. 27750 granted on 20 September 2010;
(v) Exploration Licence Title No. 27772 granted on 19 August 2010;
(vi) Exploration Licence Title No. 29954 granted on 21 November 2013;
(vii) Exploration Licence Title No. 29955 granted on 21 November 2013;
(viii) Exploration Licence Title No. 30078 granted on 9 May 2014;
(ix) Exploration Licence Title No. 28487 granted on 2 August 2011;
(x) Exploration Licence Title No. 29737 granted on 27 May 2013;
(xi) Exploration Licence Title No. 29831 granted on 4 September 2013;
(xii) Exploration Permit Title No. 190 granted on 11 December 2012;
(xiii) Exploration Permit Title No. 191 granted on 3 October 2013.
(xiv) Exploration Permit Title No. 192 granted on 3 October 2013.
(g) the rights and interests of the parties under the following agreements:
(i) Co-existence and Exploration Deed for Exploration Permit Title No. 190 between Armour Energy Limited, the Native Title Parties and the Northern Land Council dated 19 November 2012;
(ii) Co-existence and Exploration Deed for Exploration Permit Title No. 191 between Armour Energy Limited, the Native Title Parties and the Northern Land Council dated 13 August 2013.
(iii) Co-existence and Exploration Deed for Exploration Permit Title No. 192 between Armour Energy Limited, the Native Title Parties and the Northern Land Council dated 13 August 2013.
The relationship between the native title rights and interests and the non-native title rights and interests is that:
- to the extent, if at all, that the exercise of the native title rights and interests referred conflicts with the exercise of the non-native title rights and interests, the non-native title rights and interests prevail over, but do not extinguish, the native title rights and interests.
Provisions relevant to the Native Title rights:
- the Top End (Default PBC/CLA) Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, as the prescribed body corporate, is to perform functions required under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) after becoming a registered native title body corporate.
- native title is not to be held in trust for the native title holders. |
Jurluba v Northern Territory of Australia - Consent Determination Extract - (