Aboriginal Land Council CEO Funnelled $24 Million to His Own Company, Audit Finds

The CEO and chair of the Anindilyakwa Land Council are co-directors of a company which received half of the royalties meant to alleviate poverty in the area.

Children of the Yolngu people from north-eastern Arnhem Land prepare to perform the Bunggul traditional dance during the Garma Festival near Nhulunbuy, East Arnhem Land, in Australia, on Aug. 4, 2018. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The Anindilyakwa Land Council will appear before a federal parliamentary hearing on Feb. 16 to explain why $24 million (US$15.6 million), or 50 percent, of the mining royalties it received in 2021-22 were invested in a company co-owned and operated by its CEO Mark Hewitt and chair Tony Wurramarrba.

The Council is responsible for managing the royalties from the world’s largest manganese mine on Groote Eylandt, the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, which is part of the Northern Territory.