Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation MEDIA ADVISORY 9 November 2011
http://yindjibarndi.org.au/
On Wednesday 9 November FMG is holding its AGM.
Michael Woodley, CEO of Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, and a dozen traditional owners from Roebourne, and friends, will be holding a peaceful vigil outside the AGM this Wednesday morning.
While FMG reports its yearly profitability and progress, the Yindjibarndi people want to draw the attention of investors and broader public, to the fact that this has come at a terrible human cost.
The harmony of the Yindjibarndi community has been shattered by FMG’s aggressive interference. Land of great cultural importance is being mutilated to meet the corporate objectives of Fortescue at its Solomon Project, including sacred sites and ‘living heritage’ areas that date back thousands of years.
Yindjibarndi people want to say to investors that the ‘business is business’ attitude of Fortescue is unethical; in breech of State law; contravenes the most fundamental human rights covenants; and is a direct assault on the precious traditions and heritage of the Yindjibarndi people.
Particularly deplorable is FMG’s divide and conquer campaign, and its dissemination of misinformation designed to weaken the community. FMG repetitively and falsely claims that Mr Woodley, who is Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) CEO, “no longer has the support of his community”.
This is a blatant misrepresentation.
The facts are that for more than a decade, Mr Woodley has demonstrated outstanding commitment to his people and his culture. This has been realised in his founding of the Yindjibarndi cultural organisation, Juluwarlu (in 2001), whose achievements in cultural recording with all the major elders of the last decade; archiving, media production and publication; are unsurpassed in this state and have been repeatedly
awarded and acknowledged http://www.yindjibarndi.org.au/juluwarlu/index.php; and in his leadership of the YAC, to which he has been consistently reaffirmed as CEO by overwhelming majority.
Further, the YAC, of which Stanley Warrie is Chairman and Mr Woodley is CEO, is the authoritative and properly registered Prescribed Body Corporate representative of the Yindjibarndi people, and has been so since the Yindjibarndi people gained native title determination in 2005.
By contrast the freshly minted Wirlu-murra group, which FMG has sought to establish as the new Yindjibarndi rep body, was formed late in 2010 with large financial incentive from FMG and the intensive support of fly-in personnel paid by FMG.
Further, the Wirlu-murra group is not a Yindjibarndi rep body as such. A great many of their members are not known to Roebourne people or from Roebourne. There is no
ethnographic verification of who many of their members are.
Most recently FMG is sponsoring a move to remove Mr Woodley as an applicant to the Yindjibarndi Native Title Claim, within which much of Solomon Project falls. However FMG are supporting not only the removal of Mr Woodley, but 4 other applicants – Ned Cheedy (the most senior applicant who is 105 years of age), Mavis Pat, Thomas Jacob and Alum Cheedy. All of these applicants are members of YAC (Mr Woodley’s group) and strongly oppose the conduct of FMG. There are only 2 applicants affiliated with
FMG’s Wirlu-Murra group – Aileen Sandy and Sylvia Allan. So, 5 of the 7 applicants are members of YAC.
FMG should come clean on how much money it has pumped into the Wirlu-murra group, and how many personnel working for that group are paid directly or indirectly by FMG. It is telling that virtually all statements about the Wirlu-murra group issue from FMG.
This assault by FMG on a community that suffers from great hardship and disadvantage is unconscionable.
It's time for FMG to stop putting profit before anything else, and begin acting like a modern, ethical company operating in line with International best practice; to follow sound protection measures for Yindjibarndi culture; and to come to an agreement with the Yindjibarndi people that is par with mining industry standards for compensation.
This is the message Michael Woodley wishes to take to investors personally and directly at the AGM.
Mr Woodley will make a statement regarding outcomes at 12.00 PM outside the AGM venue.
FMG AGM – Wednesday 9 November 11:00am – Hyatt Regency Perth, 99 Adelaide Tce, East Perth
CONTACT: Michael Woodley 0419 097 130 mwoodley@juluwarlu.com.au
Phil Davies – Anthropologist YAC – 0429 110 451 pdavies@juluwarlu.com.au
For background & research materials please visit: www.yindjibarndi.org.au
For media materials please contact: media@juluwarlu.com.au