THOUSANDS of Indigenous workers who were paid little or no wages for almost four decades, and their families, will share in up to $180 million in compensation following a court decision.

Many Aboriginal people were exploited and forced to work long hours between 1936 and 1972, and often only paid in rations under discriminatory Western Australian laws.

Senior Gooniyandi Elder, artist and former stockman Mervyn Street launched legal action against the state in the Federal Court in 2020 seeking damages for surviving workers and their relatives.

Under a stolen wages class action settlement recently approved by the court…