Members of the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association locked in a lengthy legal battle over records relating to uranium mining royalties have been granted access to financial records.

Access to the master trust - controlled by a company called Rangelea Holdings and run by former ATLA chief executive officer Vince Coulthard - came after the South Australian Supreme Court on Friday upheld a 2023 ruling in the Federal Court, which ordered ATLA have access to Rangelea's financial documents and an inspector appointed to report on the financial activities of the company, which then lodged an appeal.

On Friday, the court found Native Title holders had statutory rights to access documents and records, as beneficiaries of the trust, to see how tens of millions of dollars from royalties related to the Heathgate mine were spent.

In March 2020, ORIC removed ATLA's directors and appointed special administrators after uncovering widespread "chronic and severe problems," including issues with spending and governance.

In 2021, mining royalties totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars per month were halted due to concerns over financial management, with approximately $20 million currently held in an account controlled by the court.

The findings at the time fuelled further calls for a royal commission to investigate the operations of Native Title.

ATLA was established 20 years ago to manage land, culture, and Native Title for approximately 3000 Adnyamathanha people living in SA's Flinders Ranges, with the goal of preventing poverty.

Rangelea could still appeal this latest decision in the High Court.

More to come.