Linda Champion on behalf of the Central West Goldfields People/Leonne Velickovic on behalf of the Widji People/Western Australia/Bullion Minerals Ltd

The case involved a dispute between the Central West Goldfields People, represented by Linda Champion, and the Widji People, represented by Leonne Velickovic, who sought to object to the grant of an exploration licence by Western Australia to Bullion Minerals Ltd. The applicants argued that the proposed exploration activities would interfere with their native title rights, including their ability to carry out community and social activities, affect significant sites, and cause major land disturbances. The applicants sought to object to the grant of the exploration licence under the expedited procedure provisions of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth).

The primary legal issues the court needed to address were whether the proposed exploration activities would directly interfere with the carrying on of the applicants' community or social activities, interfere with sites of particular significance, or cause major disturbance to the land. The court also needed to determine whether the act of granting the exploration licence attracted the expedited procedure under the Native Title Act. The court examined the evidence presented by the applicants and considered the potential impacts of the exploration activities on the applicants' native title rights.

The court found that the proposed exploration activities were unlikely to directly interfere with the carrying on of the applicants' community or social activities, interfere with sites of particular significance, or cause major land disturbances. The court considered the evidence provided by the applicants and concluded that the exploration activities would not significantly impact their native title rights. The court also found that the grant of the exploration licence attracted the expedited procedure under the Native Title Act, as the applicants had not demonstrated that the proposed activities would cause substantial harm to their native title rights. Consequently, the court dismissed the objection applications and allowed the grant of the exploration licence to proceed.

The court's decision was based on a careful consideration of the evidence presented by the applicants and a balanced assessment of the potential impacts of the exploration activities on the applicants' native title rights. The court found that the applicants had not demonstrated that the proposed activities would cause substantial harm to their native title rights, and therefore, the grant of the exploration licence could proceed under the expedited procedure. The decision highlights the importance of providing sufficient evidence to support native title objection applications and the need for a balanced assessment of the potential impacts of proposed activities on native title rights.