Akiba on behalf of the Torres Strait Regional Seas Claim Group v Commonwealth of Australia

[2013] HCA 33
Judgment date
Case number
B58/2012
Before
French CJ, Hayne, Crennan, Kiefel, Bell JJ
Catchwords

Native title – Native title rights in relation to waters – Determination made in relation to waters in Torres Strait – Determination included native title right to access and take for any purpose resources in native title areas – Successive Commonwealth and Queensland legislative regimes prohibited taking fish and other aquatic life for commercial purposes without licence – Whether legislative regimes inconsistent with continued existence of native title right – Whether right to access and take resources in native title areas partially extinguished where resources taken for commercial purposes.

Native title – Native title rights in relation to waters – Certain reciprocal access and use rights recognised in Islander society – Reciprocal rights arose out of personal relationships – Whether reciprocal rights "native title rights and interests" within meaning of s 223(1) of Native Title Act 1993 (Cth).

Words and phrases – "extinguishment", "inconsistent with the continued existence of a native title right", "native title rights and interests", "reciprocal rights".

Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) – ss 10, 11, 211, 223, 225 227, 238.

Files
33.rtf (384.06 KB)
33.pdf (215.31 KB)