A "stolen wages" class action against the state of Queensland for unpaid wages led by Hans Pearson involving approximately 10,000 Indigenous workers in Queensland could be expanded to include more people.
The trial date could also be postponed until next year following a hearing in the Federal Court in Brisbane on Monday.
For decades leading up to the 1970s, the wages of Indigenous workers in Queensland were not paid directly to them and instead paid to the state under so-called "Protection Acts" that deprived workers of wages they earned.