Australia's first determination of compensation for native title

On 24 August 2016, the Honourable Justice Mansfield of the Federal Court of Australia handed down the first decision that orders a State or Territory to pay compensation for loss or impairment of native title rights and interests pursuant to the provisions of the Native Title Act 1994 (Cth) (NT Act), namely Griffiths v Northern Territory of Australia (No 3) [2016] FCA 900.

The decision relates to areas within and surrounding the township of Timber Creek in the Northern Territory. The town of Timber Creek had previously been the subject of a native title determination by the Federal Court of Australia recognising that native title rights and interests continued to exist for the township of Timber Creek and were held by the Ngaliwurru and Nungali Peoples (Griffiths v Northern Territory of Australia (2006) 165 FCR 300).