A fight over a bauxite mine may launch a new era for land rights

The High Court will decide a case brought by the late Gumatj clan leader Yunupingu over the Gove bauxite mine this year, a decision that could lead to the next wave of native title claims over ‘dreaming’ sites.

Yunupingu v The Commonwealth is already being hailed as the third great land rights case – after Mabo (1992) and Timber Creek (2019) – and is estimated to be worth $700 million.