A $180 million settlement could help recognise abuses in WA's history.

Former stockman Mervyn Street and thousands of Aboriginal workers in Western Australia have reached a $180 million settlement in a class action. 

The case highlights the historical injustice of withholding up to 75 per cent of an Aboriginal person's wage under WA policies from the early 1900s to the 1970s. 

Claimants describe the settlement as recognition that the state's economy was built at leats partly on slave labour.

The WA government will also issue a formal apology to the affected workers on November 28. 

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti has praised the settlement as a recognition of past hardships and contributions made by Aboriginal people to the state's economy. 

The settlement concludes months of negotiations and offers financial compensation to impacted workers and their descendants. 

If approved, the Federal Court will determine the allocation of compensation to affected families, with an emphasis on those who endured the policy for the longest duration.

More details are accessible here.