The Agreement

The State of Western Australia, Southern Yamatji, Hutt River, Mullewa Wadjari and Widi Mob claim groups entered into negotiations about an alternative settlement of native title claims.

Negotiations formally started on 6 November 2017 with the signing of the Grant Agreement that commits the State to funding parts of the negotiation process. Negotiations led to a draft agreement called the Geraldton Alternative Settlement Agreement (GASA) and this was later changed to Yamatji Nation Southern Regional Agreement (YNSRA). This settlement agreement covers the area in the map below (the Separate Proceeding Area (SPA) or settlement area).

What was the role of the federal court?

On 8 November 2017, the Federal Court set a deadline for the State and the claim groups to negotiate and reach an Agreement by 27 December 2019. The original four claim groups agreed to lodge a new single claim overarching the entire SPA area known as the Yamatji Nation Claim.

YMAC provided ongoing advice and representation to the native title claim groups that it represented in the SPA, which were Hutt River, Southern Yamatji, and Yamatji Nation (including descendants of additional ancestors of those who were not included in the original underlying claims). Mullewa Wadjari were represented by Corser and Corser consultants and Widi Mob by MPS Law consultants.

The native title claim groups authorised an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) on 9 December 2019, which is known as the Yamatji Nation ILUA. It is an agreement between the State and all five claim groups in the SPA.