Githabul Nation Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC

Sitting in a makeshift court in a paddock at Woodenbong, a Federal Court judge officially finalised the Githabul people's native title claim.

The largest native title deal ever struck in NSW has given the Githabul people claim to a 1,000-square-kilometre parcel of land in the state's north. NB - This article consists only of this sentence

The Githabul People have taken another step towards the recognition of their native title rights in New South Wales with the registration of their indigenous land use agreement (ILUA)* at the National Native Title Tribunal.

"The reason the Githabul people are fighting so hard for Mount Lindesay is that this mountain is the heart of the Githabul nation," he said. "Without the heart, the rest of the body cannot work.

After a decade of negotiations and legal wrangling, an Aboriginal group and the New South Wales Government are just weeks away from signing off on the biggest native title deal in the state. The Indigenous Land Use Agreement will cover a 6,000 square-kilometre area in the north-east of the state.

Today's consent determination will finalise the Githabul People's native title claim in NSW, which was first lodged in 1995. It will be one of the most significant consent determinations in eastern Australia, and the first determination that native title exists in NSW in 10 years.