Canadian company Agnico Eagle Mines has signed an agreement with traditional owner group Djaara to compensate First Nations people for gold mined at the Central Victorian-based Fosterville Gold Mine. The agreement — “bakaru wayaparrangu”, meaning “in the middle we all meet” — has been seven years in the making and is being hailed by the two organisations as a first for an active mining company in Victoria.
Mining agreement ‘compromise’
Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation chair Rebecca Phillips represents her ancestors, the Malcolm family line, and said the mining agreement was significant for all Indigenous peoples.