Daniel v State of Western Australia [2003] FCA 666

FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Daniel v State of Western Australia [2003] FCA 666

Aboriginals – native title to land – whether claims made out - findings on present observable behaviour – whether applicants are 'groups' – whether continuity in applicant groups – whether connection with traditional laws and customs –findings of native title rights and interests – common law recognition – terms of proposed determination Aboriginals – native title to land – extinguishment – effect of grants of interest – tenure validity – land tenure – mining and petroleum tenements – legislation – offshore areas – acquiescence – Native Title Act provisions – effect in areas of selected activity Evidence Act 1995 (Cth) s 136 Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) ss 13, 22B(d), 22F, 23B(2), 23B(2)(c)(ii), 23B(3), 23B(2)(c)(i), 23B(2)(c)(ii), 23B(2)(c)(vii), 23B(2)(c)(viii), 23B(7), 23B(7)(b), 23B(9C), 23B(9C)(a), 23C, 23F, 47, 47(2)(b), 47A, 47A(1)(b), 47A(1)(b)(i), 47A(1)(b)(ii), 47A(1)(c), 47B, 47B(1)(b), 47B(1)(c), 61(1), 63, 70, 71, 73, 74, 211, 211(2)(b), 223, 223(1), 223(1)(a), 223(1)(b), 223(1)(c), 225, 225(a), 225(b), 225(c), 227, 228, 232A, 232C, 237A, 246(1), 248, 251, 251D, 253 Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976 (Cth) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage (Interim Protection) Act 1984 (Cth) Lands Acquisition Acts 1955 (Cth) Lands Acquisition Acts 1906 (Cth) Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) ss 9, 10 Titles (Validation) and Native Title (Effect of Past Acts) Act 1995 (WA) ss 6, 12A, 12E(1), 12I, 12I(1)(a), 12I(1)(b), 12I(1a), 12J Aborigines Act 1905 (WA) Aborigines Protection Act 1886 (WA) Constitution Act 1890 (WA) Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1936 (WA) Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1947 (WA) Natives (Citizenship Rights) Act 1944 (WA) Petroleum Act 1936 (WA) Municipal Corporations Act 1906 (WA) Public Works Act 1902 (WA) ss 17, 18, 32, 123 Land Acquisition and Public Works Act 1902 (WA) ss 10, 17, 18, 28 Transfer of Land Act 1893 (WA)s 4, 68 Land Act 1933 (WA) ss 7(4), 10, 13, 29(g), 32, 33, 43, 45A, 91(1)(2), 106, 114, 114(1), 114(2)(a), 114(2)(c), 116, 117, 134B, Land Act 1898 (WA) ss 4, 16, 41, 42, 52, 152, 153 Local Government Act 1960 (WA) ss 267, 288, 294A Roads Act 1888 (WA) Roads Act 1902 (WA) Road Districts Act 1919 (WA) Iron Ore (Cleveland Cliffs) Agreement Act 1964 (WA) Millstream Station Acquisition Act (WA) s 4 Petroleum Pipelines Act 1969 (WA) ss 16, 20 Land Administration Act1997 (WA) Pilbara Energy Project Agreement Act 1994 (WA) Sch 1 cl 11(1)(a), cl 11(1)(d) Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (WA) ss 17(2), 88, 101 Mining Act 1904 (WA) ss 26, 26(2), 26(10), 45, 47, 48, 48(2), 50(1)(b), 51, 53, 70, 79, 117, 174, 176, 183, 185, 186, 188, 269 Petroleum Act 1967 (WA) s 9 Goldfields Act 1886 (WA) ss 10(1), 10(3), 14 Goldfields Act Amendment Act 1894 (WA) Goldfields Act 1895 (WA) ss 32, 47 Mining on Private Property Act 1898 (WA) ss 15, 18, 25 Mining Act 1978 (WA) ss 9(2), 48, 66, 86, 87, 88(2), 91 Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914 (WA) Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) Dampier Solar Salt Agreement Act (WA) Iron Ore (Hamersley Range) Agreement Act (WA) Mining Act Amendment Act 1920 (WA) ss 6, 8 Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947 (WA) ss 9(1), 11, 105 Parks and Reserves Act 1895 (WA) s 8 National Parks Authority Act 1976 (WA) ss 18, 22, 41 Rights in Water and Irrigation Act Amendment Act 1962 (WA) ss 4, 6, 8, 18 Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (WA) ss 12A, 14(1), 15, 16, 22, 23 Fauna Conservation Act Amendment Act 1975 (WA) (No 67) Wildlife Conservation Act Amendment Act 1979 (WA) (No 28) The Cossack-Roebourne Tramway Act 1886 (WA) s 2 Marine and Harbours Act 1981 (WA) ss 9(1), 12 Jetties Act 1926 (WA) s 7 Marine Act 1982 (WA) s 65 Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972 (WA) s 25 Iron Ore (Hamersley Range) Agreement Act (WA) Marine and Harbours Act 1981 (WA) s 9 North West Gas Development (Woodside) Agreement Act 1979 (WA) Dampier Solar Salt Industry Agreement Act 1967 (WA) Iron Ore (Cleveland Cliffs) Agreement Act 1964 (WA) Iron Ore (Robe River) Agreement Act 1964 (WA) Dampier Port Authority Act 1985 (WA) ss 4, 6, 21 Ports (Functions) Act 1993 (WA) s 14 Native Title (Prescribed Bodies Corporate) Regulations 1999 (Cth) Land Regulations 1873 (WA) regs 102, 137 Land Regulations 1882 (WA)regs 33, 82 Land Regulations 1887 (WA) regs 61, 36 Mining Regulations 1925 (WA) regs 5, 54, 55, 56 – 83, 84, 87(1), 87(2), 87(3), 87(5), 87(6), 111 Mining Regulations 1981 (WA) regs 37 – 42B National Parks Authority Regulations 1977 (WA) regs 5, 6, 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 36, 38, 45, 52 Wildlife Conservation Regulations 1970 (WA) reg 42(2) State of Western Australia v Ward (2000) 99 FCR 316 applied The Commonwealth v Yarmirr (1999) 168 ALR 426 cited The Commonwealth v Yarmirr (2001 - 2002) 208 CLR 1 applied Western Australia v Ward (2002) 191 ALR 1 followed Members of the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal Community v Victoria (2003) 194 ALR 538 applied Daniel v State of Western Australia [1999] FCA 686 cited Daniel v State of Western Australia (1999) 94 FCR 537 cited Daniel v State of Western Australia (2000) 173 ALR 51 cited Daniel v State of Western Australia [2000] FCA 858 cited Daniel v State of Western Australia [2000] FCA 1334 cited Daniel v State of Western Australia [2000] FCA 1356 cited Daniel v State of Western Australia [2001] FCA 223 cited Daniel v State of Western Australia [2002] FCA 1147 cited Holborow & Ors v Macdonald Rudder [2000] WASC 135 cited Holborow & Ors v MacDonald Rudder [2000] WASC 160 cited Hicks v Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc) (2000) 98 FCR 435 cited Hicks v Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc) (2001) 108 FCR 589 cited Yarmirr v Northern Territory (Croker Island Case) (1998) 82 FCR 533 applied Mabo v Queensland (No 2) (1992) 175 CLR 1 applied Wik Peoples v Queensland (1996) 187 CLR 1 considered Wilson v Anderson (2002) 190 ALR 313 applied Members of the Yorta Yorta Aboriginal Community v State of Victoria (2001) 110 FCR 244 considered State of Western Australia v The Commonwealth ('Second Native Title Act Case') (1995) 183 CLR 373 cited Bodney v Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd (2000) 109 FLR 178 cited The Queen v Toohey; Ex Parte Meneling (1982) 158 CLR 327 approved National Provincial Bank Ltd v Ainsworth [1965] AC 1175 approved Hayes v Northern Territory (1999) 97 FCR 32 approved Bathurst CC v PWC Properties Pty Ltd (1997) 41 NSWLR 522 cited Aboriginal Hostels v Darwin CC (1985) 75 FLR 197 cited New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council v Minister for Natural Resources (1986) 59 LGRA 318 cited Fourmile v Selpam Pty Ltd (1997) 80 FCR 151 applied Wandarang, Alawa, Marra and Ngalakan People v Northern Territory of Australia (2000) 104 FCR 380 cited Yanner v Eaton (1999) 201 CLR 351 followed Reilly v Booth (1890) 44 Ch D 12 (AC) approved Auerbach v Beck (1985) 6 NSWLR 424 approved Commissioner of Main Roads v North Shore Gas Co Ltd (1967) 120 CLR 118 cited Mayor, Councillors and Citizens of Perth v Halle (1911) 13 CLR 393 cited Mineralogy Pty Ltd v National Native Title Tribunal (1997) 150 ALR 467 considered Breskvar v Wall (1971) 126 CLR 376 cited Cashman v North Golden Gate Mining Co (1897) 7 QLJ 152 cited Glasson v Fuller [1922] SASR 148 cited Orr v Ford (1989) 167 CLR 316 cited Denniss v Minister for Land and Water Conservation (1999) 91 FCR 228 cited Australian Anglo American Prospecting Ltd v CRA Exploration Pty Ltd [1981] WAR 97 cited De Rosa v State of South Australia [2002] FCA 1342 approved JS Beard, 'The Vegetation of the Pilbara Area' University of Western Australia Press, 1975 J Withnell, The Customs and Traditions of North West Australia, Roebourne, 1901 P Hasluck, Black Australians: A Survey of Native Policy in Western Australia 1829 – 1897, Melbourne University Press, 1970 J Turner, 'We Womans Really Knows a Lot',Thesis for Master of Arts, University of Western Australia, Department of Anthropology 1990 E Russell, 'A History of the Law in Western Australia', University of Western Australia Press A Rumsey, 'Language Groups in Australian Aboriginal Land Claims', Anthropological Forum vol VI(1), 1989 A Rumsey, 'Language and Territoriality in Aboriginal Australia' in Language and Culture in Aboriginal Australia (ed M Walsh and C Yallop) Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 1993 D Daniel and R Reynolds, Thalu sites of the West Pilbara, Perth WA Museum, 1990 CG Brandenstein and AP Thomas, Taruru: Aboriginal Song Poetry from the Pilbara, Adelaide Rigby, 1974 Dr P Sutton, 'The Robustness of Aboriginal Land Tenure Systems: Underlying and Proximate Customary Titles', Oceania vol 67, no 7, 1996 The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 1993 RP Meagher & WMC Gummow, Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia, 6th edn, Butterworths, 1997 HAJ Ford & WA Lee, Principles of the Law of Trusts, 3rd edn, LBC 1996 RP Meagher, WMC Gummow and Lehane JJ, Equity Doctrines and Remedies,3rd ed, 1992 Seaman Aboriginal Land Inquiry,1984 Annual Report of the Native Welfare Department, Western Australia, 1953 R Stevens, 'Preliminary Archaeology Report: Ngarluma – Yindjibarndi Native Title Claim', 1998 The Yindjibarndi Language', Canberra, Pacific Linguistics Series C, No 71