Darwin, Dec 18 (IANS): Indigenous Australians in the country's Northern Territory (NT) have sought compensation from the regional government over damages caused to sacred site by a zinc mine.

The Northern Land Council (NLC), which supports traditional owners of the region, on Thursday filed the compensation claim seeking unspecified damages in the Federal Court alleging that the McArthur River zinc and lead mine has caused damage to the sacred sites, reports Xinhua news agency.

Building of the mine began in 1992 after objections from the Gudanji, Yanyuwa and Yanyuwa-Marra Aboriginal peoples were dismissed by the NT and federal governments.

"Since the zinc, lead and silver deposit was first proposed to be mined, the native title holders have sought to protect their land and culture and have sought to be heard in relation to the social and environmental impacts of the proposed mine," Marion Scrymgour, the chief executive of the NLC, said in a statement.

"By and large, they have been ignored."

The NT government in November approved a major expansion of the mine, which is operated by Swiss company Glencore, against the advice of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) which requested further consultation with Aboriginal communities about potential damage to sacred sites.

Casey Davey, a Gudanji man, said that the mine had affected significant cultural sites.

"Our totem is right there where they dug up the dirt for the river diversion and the open cut," he said in the NLC's statement.

"We need to be paid back for that and for the damage to our sacred trees.

"It's sad for us, what happened at the mine, especially what happened to our sites," he added.