NATIVE TITLE: ITS EFFECTS ON PETROLEUM EXPLORATION

Abstract

The existence of native title in Australia was recognised by the High Court in its historic Mabo No. 2 judgment on 3 June 1992. Native title is a shorthand expression used to describe those activities pursued by native peoples in connection with their traditional lands, in accordance with traditional law and custom. It could be extinguished in many ways, and once extinguished cannot be revived. Following an intense public debate, the Commonwealth enacted the Native Title Act (NTA) which, for most purposes, commenced on 1 January 1994. The NTA recognises and protects native title, enabling its future extinguishment in only limited cases, principally by government acquisition for public purposes which are actually fulfilled. The High Court decision and the NTA are both constructed around the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (RDA) which has a dual limb operation. Where laws omit inclusion of people on racial grounds, the RDA uplifts the rights of those people to equate with all other citizens. Where such laws prohibit people on racial grounds, the prohibition provisions will be ineffective. The former limb extends principles of due process and compensation to persons dispossessed of their native title after commencement of the RDA on 21 October 1975. By so doing, existing petroleum tenements probably avoided invalidity, leaving the question of compensation alive for tenements created after that date. Alternatively, the NTA enables those tenements to be validated by legislation, and provides for compensation in appropriate cases. Since 1 January 1994, the RDA imposes a non-extinguishment principle into the general law, whereby granted tenements will not extinguish native title, only displace it for the life of the grant enabling the native title rights to then be resumed. Further Court cases, legislation and proposed international treaties are all now in the course of development, with the combined capacity of expanding native title concepts. Australia is still at the beginning of the evolution of legal recognition of native title.