Media Alert: Larrimah Native Title Recognition Ceremony

The Federal Court of Australia will hold a special hearing at the Supreme Court of the NT in Darwin on Wednesday 24 October 2018 to recognise native title rights and interests over the town of Larrimah.

Date : Wednesday 24 October 2018

Time : 10am

Where : Court 9, Level 4, Supreme Court of Northern Territory, State Square, Darwin NT. Followed by a BBQ hosted by NLC to celebrate the occasion with the native title holders.

This is the last piece of the puzzle for members of the Wubalawun group who hold Native Title over surrounding pastoral leases.

Around 20 Native Title Holders are travelling from Katherine and Kalkaringi for the hearing, including the native title claim’s applicant, Jimmy Wavehill and his family, and the Maroney and Birdum families.

The Native Title Determination recognises a right to “access and take resources for any purpose” – i.e. including commercial purposes not limited to personal or domestic purposes. This is the first time that right has been recognised in the Northern Territory by agreement with the Northern Territory Government and native title claimants without going to trial as occurred in the Town of Borroloola in 2016. It is hoped this determination will pave the way for recognition of the right in other parts of the Northern Territory without the need for costly trials.

Native title over parts of the town of Larrimah was first claimed in 2001 and extended in 2011 to include the whole town.

NLC contact: Martha Tattersall 0427 031 382