Abstract: The so-called resources super-cycle is delivering considerable revenue to Indigenous landowners and this is likely to continue in coming decades. The value of production on Indigenous land in the Pilbara, Groote Eylandt, and Roxby Downs, to name just a few places, has increased many times over and this should continue under expansion plans now being put in place.

Surprisingly little is known about the nature of agreements negotiated between landowners and companies. Companies like BHP Billiton and FMG refuse to divulge any details on these agreements, thereby denying other landowners information to leverage their bargaining position. But landowners are also reluctant to divulge information on assets and income; published information from these groups is very patchy. Authors who have examined these agreements are long on thematic analysis but short on detail. The ATNS specialist website is bereft of details of what landowner groups are actually earning from mining. This research project will address limitations in available information and test the theory of the resource curse, which argues that indigenous people and their agents lack the capacity to utilise large amounts of windfall revenue.

Paul Cleary is a PhD Researcher at CAEPR.