"Glencore blocked from expanding McArthur River Mine port facility in High Court ruling," 07 Feb 2024

A group of native title holders from the McArthur River region in the Northern Territory has won a High Court battle to prevent the expansion of an open cut mine...

A dispute between three native title holders... and Mount Isa Mines, a subsidiary of Glencore... began in 2013 when the mining giant applied for a mineral lease to construct a new dredge dumping area.

Mount Isa Mines was applying for more space to contain the dredge material not far from the Bing Bong facility on land it owns...

But the native title owners argued that the new lease would be a future act that would affect their native title rights.

On Wednesday morning the High Court agreed, striking out an earlier Federal Court ruling and ordering the Northern Territory government not to grant the lease.

...the High Court agreed the native title holders are entitled to their rights to notification and to object. 

Mark Furlotte, the general manager of Glencore's McArthur River Mine, says he "acknowledges and respects" the High Court's decision.

"McArthur River Mine continues to be engaged in discussions with the traditional owners and with the Northern Land Council (NLC) in relation to the land which is the subject of the decision of the High Court and other matters," he said.