New financial reports show a handful of Aboriginal groups gaining more income from mining royalties but others going backwards, while the sector as a whole remains the poor cousin.
An Aboriginal charity that was paid $47 million in mining royalties last year could find itself out of pocket after BHP concluded it had paid too much over an extended period.
Long-running efforts by Attorney General John Quigley to increase scrutiny of Aboriginal trusts has culminated in plans for a new regulator with powers akin to a royal commission.
BHP has produced first ore at its $4.7 billion South Flank mine, which features autonomous trucking, 40 per cent female employment and 15 per cent indigenous employment.
