WA comes to native title table

WESTERN Australia was finally enticed to the native title bargaining table by the federal government, after the High Court threw out a state government challenge to the 1993 Native Title Act. WA’s willingness to cooperate was seen as the last major hurdle to a comprehensive native title system. Then Premier Richard Court was expected to clear up uncertainty surrounding the link between native title and pastoral leases, as roughly 65 per cent of WA mining leases were on such leases.