Newsletter date: 9 April 2013
Contents:
* The Wire Interview: Legal action threatened by Indigenous groups against the CSG industry
* Tracker: Gas firms accused of sacred site damage
* Tracker: Sacred sites 'destroyed by Qld gas plants'
* Herald Sun: NT land owners tour Spanish nuclear dump
* Tennant & District Times: Muckaty mob on tour
* Media Release: Nuclear waste in the spotlight, Muckaty in the frame: Red dirt exhibition raises red flag in Canberra
* Background to the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump
* Melinda Wilson, YouTube: Many Hands, Many Hearts Say NO GAS at Walmadan JPP
* Hands off Country: Singing Country in the Song Cycle
* KimberleyDirectAction: Launch of the NEW Walmadan camp guide to Country, Community & Culture
* The Stringer: Traditional Owners outraged by Browse LNG works State Government deadline
* The Stringer: Chief Justice orders Woodside as respondent
* Media Release: Flawed Gas Hub Development Steamroller Continues to Flatten Locals
* The Stringer: Broome residents urge for the rejection of the application for the 857 transient workers camp
* WA Today: $120 million Browse workers camp approved
* Background to the Save The Kimberley Campaign - James Price Point, north of Broome, WA
* Media Release: Sad day for WA as state’s first uranium mine approved
* NIRS: Traditional owner 'shocked' by Wiluna approval
* Background to the Western Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (WANFA)
* Michael Sainsbury and Russell Skelton, Canberra Times: Twiggy's big giveaway
* Other articles
* THE WIRE INTERVIEW: LEGAL ACTION THREATENED BY INDIGENOUS GROUPS AGAINST CSG INDUSTRY
- Audio Interview
The Wire: Legal action threatened by Indigenous groups against the CSG industry
Produced by Alexander Tate
http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10211
5 Apr 13: "With increasing unhappiness towards the Coal Seam Gas industry, Indigenous and Environmental groups are considering legal action to address their growing concerns. (image of a CSG protest in Fullerton Grove by Jeremy Buckingham MLC on Flickr)
Featured in story: Dr Libby Connors - Save The Reef spokeswoman"
* TRACKER: GAS FIRMS ACCUSED OF SACRED SITE DAMAGE
- News
newsTracker: Gas firms accused of sacred site damage
http://tracker.org.au/2013/04/gas-firms-accused-of-sacred-site-damage/
8 Apr 13: "A Queensland Aboriginal tribe has accused three gas companies of desecrating sacred sites on a central Queensland island. Spokeswoman for the Gurang tribe, Cherissma Blackman, says ceremonial areas have been destroyed and fishing stocks depleted on Curtis Island and around Gladstone Harbour. "It is part of our traditional cultural heritage," Ms Blackman told AAP. "All these animals and marine life that exist, they’re part of our song lines and story lines. "We have an obligation to our old people to uphold these song lines and story lines for future generations. ... ""
* TRACKER: SACRED SITES 'DESTROYED BY QLD GAS PLANTS'
- News
newsTracker: Sacred sites 'destroyed by Qld gas plants'
http://tracker.org.au/2013/04/sacred-sites-destroyed-by-qld-gas-plants/
5 Apr 13: "QUEENSLAND: Aboriginal sacred sites on an island at the heart of Australia’s gas boom have been destroyed to make way for gas plants, a group claims. The Gurang Land Council in central Queensland says it is launching a class action against Queensland Gas Company, Santos and Asia Pacific LNG because they have failed to pay compensation for using native title land."
* HERALD SUN: NT LAND OWNERS TOUR SPANISH NUCLEAR DUMP
- News
Herald Sun: NT land owners tour Spanish nuclear dump
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/nt-land-owners-tour-spani...
7 Apr 13: "NORTHERN Territory traditional land owners joined commonwealth officials on a tour of a Spanish radioactive storage facility. ... Beyond Nuclear Initiative coordinator Natalie Wasley says this is extreme and costly. "To take a big trip overseas at quite a cost is really surprising," Ms Wasley told ABC radio. "It seems any information sharing about the company that is intended to build (the dump) ... could be done by less expensive methods." ... The consultation process is expected to continue into next year."
* TENNANT & DISTRICT TIMES: MUCKATY MOB ON TOUR
- News
Tennant & District Times: Muckaty mob on tour
http://www.tennantcreektimes.com.au/story/1411542/muckaty-mob-on-tour/?c...
5 Apr 13: "THE Northern Land Council (NLC) has taken group of traditional owners from Muckaty on a junket to Spain in bid to woo them into signing a new land deal. Fearful of losing the current Federal Court case challenging the nomination of the nuclear dump site at Muckaty, the NLC is hoping they can convince another group of traditional owners to nominate a site. ... The trip was shrouded in secrecy with the NLC ignoring media queries. ... "If responsibility for the waste site is to remain with Mr Gray’s portfolio, he should immediately move to drop the campaign to dump the waste at Muckaty Station," [Australian Greens] Senator [Scott] Ludlam said."
* MEDIA RELEASE: NUCLEAR WASTE IN THE SPOTLIGHT, MUCKATY IN THE FRAME: RED DIRT EXHIBITION RAISES THE RED FLAG IN CANBERRA
- Media Release
Nuclear waste in the spotlight, Muckaty in the frame: Red dirt exhibition raises red flag in Canberra
BNI: http://beyondnuclearinitiative.com/2013/04/05/nuclear-waste-in-the-spotl...
4 Apr 13: "The Northern Territory community fighting to keep nuclear waste off their land is bringing their message to Canberra with a photographic exhibition opening this Sunday, April 7 at Manning Clark House Gallery. "Manuwangku, Under the Nuclear Cloud" received the Amnesty International Human Rights Innovation Fund 2010 Grant. It presents the community and land around Muckaty, 120km north of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, targeted to host a national radioactive waste facility. ...
Muckaty Traditional Owner Penny Phillips, who is travelling from Tennant Creek to open the exhibition, stated "We don’t want the nuclear waste dump coming to our land. It will kill our environment. That place is very important for water. We have earth tremors there too. We are not just worried about ourselves, but everyone along the transport route". ... "
- Current Event
Event: 7 April until 4 May 2013: Forrest, Canberra, ACT
Manuwangku - Under the Nuclear Cloud
Canberra Opening Sun 7 April 2013
Photographs by Jagath Dheerasekara
Curated By Judith Crispin
To be opened by special guest speaker:
Ms Penny Phillips, Manuwangku (Muckaty) Traditional Owner
Venue: Manning Clark House Gallery: http://manningclark.org.au/
Gallery Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm
"Manuwangku, Under the Nuclear Cloud is a
series of photographs by Jagath Dheerasekara
presenting the community and country around Muckaty,
120 kilometres north of Tennant Creek in the NT."
"For over five years this area has been the focus
of federal government pressure as a site to
dump radioactive waste. The federal plan is
deeply unpopular and is being actively opposed."
"Sri Lankan photographer Jagath Dheerasekara
received the Amnesty International Human Rights
Innovation Grant 2010 and has developed the
exhibition as a collaborative project with the
Beyond Nuclear Initiative and Muckaty Traditional Owners."
"Please support this important campaign by
attending the Canberra opening and considering
a donation to assist with costs for Penny Phillips
to travel from Tennant Creek."
jagath dheerasekara photographs and story: http://jd.photoshelter.com/gallery/Manuwangku-Under-the-Nuclear-Cloud-NT...
jagath dheerasekara homepage: http://jd.photoshelter.com/index
Essay in burn magazine: http://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2013/03/jagath-dheerasekara-manuwangk...
Interviews with Manawangku traditional owners Isobel Phillips & Doris Kelly: http://www.thewire.org.au/storyDetail.aspx?ID=10023
Beyond Nuclear Initiative (BNI) homepage: http://beyondnuclearinitiative.com/
Amnesty International Australia: http://www.amnesty.org.au/indigenous-rights
Event details: http://www.facebook.com/events/171018886384500/
Event details: http://manningclark.org.au/event/manuwangku-under-nuclear-cloud
Event details: http://www.amnesty.org.au/actsnsw/event/31455/
Event details: https://www.facebook.com/events/505240856205148/
'Red dirt exhibition raises red flag in Canberra' Media Release 4 Apr 13: http://beyondnuclearinitiative.com/2013/04/05/nuclear-waste-in-the-spotl...
WGAR Background to the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump in NT: http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-proposed-muckaty-nu...
* BACKGROUND TO THE PROPOSED MUCKATY NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP:
Last updated: 31 March 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-proposed-muckaty-nu...
* MELINDA WILSON, YOUTUBE: MANY HANDS, MANY HEARTS SAY NO GAS AT WALMADAN JPP
- Video
YouTube: Many Hands, Many Hearts Say NO GAS at Walmadan JPP - Melinda Wilson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jp3wKWr0kM
5 Apr 13: "The Battle lines are drawn... Woodside and their JV Partners plan to bulldoze Ancient Indigenous Graves in the Dunes at Walmadan, James Price Point. People around the world were asked to send to Broome a cut out hand, with a NO GAS message. They will be placed on country Sunday 7th April, which will carry their no Gas spirits on country to protect those who rest there."
* HANDS OFF COUNTRY: SINGING COUNTRY IN THE SONG CYCLE
- Analysis / Opinion
Hands off Country: Singing Country in the Song Cycle
http://handsoffcountry.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/singing-country-in-song-c...
5 Apr 13: "One of the major responsibilities of the Kimberley Law Bosses is to ensure that Traditional Culture - The Law - is passed down to successive generations. The Elders are Custodians of a living history, Traditional knowledge of the origin and function of things, and stories and skills that derive from centuries of experience in the area. "This body of cultural knowledge is known as "Bugarigaara," the Dreaming. It is perpetuated within the Song Cycle" which recounts the creative journeys of the ancestral beings who made the land and its people. The Song Cycle is an oral heritage map."
* KIMBERLEYDIRECTACTION: LAUNCH OF THE NEW WALMADAN CAMP GUIDE TO COUNTRY, COMMUNITY & CULTURE
- Guide
KimberleyDirectAction: Launch of the NEW Walmadan camp guide to Country, Community & Culture
http://kimberleydirectaction.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/launch-of-the-new-...
24 Feb 13: "It looks HOT, with many artists and photographers contributing pieces depicting the Walmadan area and the struggle of trying to protect it. Despite the wet season, a struggling solar system, the threat of nearby cyclones, and being trapped in the bush due to a flooded dirt road, we have produced this guide primarily from out on Country! If you want to know more about Camp Walmadan, how we work to help protect the Kimberley from mass industrialisation; or if you want to know more about non-violent direct action, the cultural and environmental wonders of this place, and how you can help, THIS GUIDE IS FOR YOU!!"
See:
Background to the Walmadan Tent Embassy, James Price Point, north of Broome, Kimberley Region, WA
(Last updated: 5 April 2013)
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/02/walmadan-tent-embassy-james-price-poi...
* THE STRINGER: TRADITIONAL OWNERS OUTRAGED BY BROWSE LNG WORKS STATE GOVERNMENT DEADLINE
- News
The Stringer: Traditional Owners outraged by Browse LNG works State Government deadline
http://thestringer.com.au/traditional-owners-outraged-by-browse-lng-work...
5 Apr 13: "Goolarabooloo Traditional Owners are outraged that the WA Department of Regional Development and Lands (RDL) is threatening to clear the way for Woodside’s drilling in the sensitive dune system near James Price Point. The Traditional Owners said the site includes middens, artefacts, ceremonial and burial sites. The area also contains Monsoon Vine Thickets, which were listed as endangered under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in March this year."
* THE STRINGER: CHIEF JUSTICE ORDERS WOODSIDE AS RESPONDENT
- News
The Stringer: Chief Justice orders Woodside as respondent
http://thestringer.com.au/chief-justice-orders-woodside-as-respondent/
5 Apr 13: "On Friday, Western Australian Chief Magistrate Wayne Martin ordered Woodside to be a respondent in the legal action launched by Goolarabooloo Traditional Owners Richard Hunter and by The Wilderness Environment Protection Authority and the State Environment Minister over contentious approvals granted for works at the proposed James Price Point (Walmadany) Gas Hub site."
* MEDIA RELEASE: FLAWED GAS HUB DEVELOPMENT STREAMROLLER CONTINUES TO FLATTEN LOCALS
- Media Release
Flawed Gas Hub Development Steamroller Continues to Flatten Locals
Kimberley Page: http://www.kimberleypage.com.au/2013/04/robin-chapple-on-the-gas-hub-wor...
5 Apr 13: "Recently re-elected Greens WA Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Robin Chapple MLC has expressed dismay at last night’s turn of events in the James Price Point saga.
"I am deeply saddened that yet again, the people of Broome have been pushed to breaking point by the heavy-handed tactics of the Barnett-Grylls government, as shown by the public disturbance reported at yesterday’s meeting of the Kimberley Joint Development Assessment Panel," Mr Chapple said.
"It’s no wonder some people react bitterly, when they see their democratically elected Council sidelined by these unrepresentative bodies. ...
"Unfortunately, we shouldn’t be surprised, as the whole James Price Point venture has clearly been flawed from the outset and only continues today thanks to the blinkered, fanatical determination of the Premier," Mr Chapple concluded."
* THE STRINGER: BROOME RESIDENTS URGE FOR THE REJECTION OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE 857 TRANSIENT WORKERS CAMP
- News
The Stringer: Broome residents urge for the rejection of the application for the 857 transient workers camp
http://thestringer.com.au/broome-residents-urge-for-the-rejection-of-the...
5 Apr 13: "The Broome Community NO GAS Campaign is urging the Kimberley Joint Development Assessment Panel (KJDAP) to reject the application to develop an 857 person temporary Transient Workers Accommodation camp on the outskirts of Broome. ... Many do not understand why the application is proceeding while the Woodside led joint venture decision is still up in the air - with their decision of whether they will go ahead with the James Price Point (Walmadany) Gas Hub."
* WA TODAY: $120 MILLION BROWSE WORKERS CAMP APPROVED
- News
WA Today: $120 million Browse workers camp approved
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/120-million-browse-workers-camp-approv...
5 Apr 13: "A $120 million camp to house more than 850 fly-in, fly-out workers at the proposed gas hub in Western Australia's Kimberley region has been given a conditional green light by a state government planning panel. Amid some angry scenes from protesters, the Kimberley Joint Development Assessment Panel conditionally approved the camp, which would temporarily house workers while a bigger permanent camp is built nearer James Price Point - if Woodside Petroleum's $40 billion project goes ahead."
* BACKGROUND TO THE SAVE THE KIMBERLEY CAMPAIGN - JAMES PRICE POINT, NORTH OF BROOME, WA
Last updated: 5 April 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/22/wgar-news-background-to-the-save-the-...
* MEDIA RELEASE: SAD DAY FOR WA AS STATE'S FIRST URANIUM MINE APPROVED
- Media Release
Sad day for WA as state’s first uranium mine approved
Braidwood Greens: http://braidwood.nsw.greens.org.au/2013/04/03/sad-day-for-wa-as-states-f...
3 Apr 13: "Robin Chapple, the Greens WA spokesperson on Mining and Nuclear issues, today expressed his sadness after hearing the news of federal environment minister Burke’s decision to approve the Toro Energy Wiluna uranium mine.
"I am sad for the men and women who will be asked to work at close quarters with this most toxic of mineral ores," Mr Chapple said.
"They will have been reassured by the imprimatur given to this mine by the various levels of government.
"Who can blame them for assuming that if it is permitted by the authorities, in a modern industry like Australia’s mining sector, then it must be OK?
"The truth, sadly, is that prolonged, repeated exposure to uranium ore, such as that experienced by Toro’s future mine workforce, is a proven health risk. " [said Mr Chapple.]"
See:
The Stringer: Federal Government green light uranium mining for WA
http://thestringer.com.au/federal-government-green-light-uranium-mining-...
4 Apr 13: "Western Australia will be exporting uranium within two years after the Federal Government granted environmental approval to Toro Energy’s Wiluna project. ... Yeelirie Elder Kado Muir, who is also the chairman of the all Aboriginal Western Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (WANFA) said that Country is threatened "by the poison that is uranium and that everything that can be done to stop the mining of uranium must be done.""
* NIRS: TRADITIONAL OWNER 'SHOCKED' BY WILUNA APPROVAL
- Audio
National Indigenous Radio Service: Traditional owner 'shocked' by Wiluna approval
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/28991/Traditional-owner-%27shoc...
5 Apr 13: "A Goldfields-based traditional owner in Western Australia says she’s disappointed by the Federal Government’s environmental approval of the Wiluna uranium mine. ... Vicki McCabe lives at Wiluna and is a member of the West Australian Nuclear Free Alliance."
* BACKGROUND TO THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN NUCLEAR FREE ALLIANCE (WANFA)
Last updated: 5 April 2013
http://www.indymedia.org.au/2013/01/02/western-australian-nuclear-free-a...
* MICHAEL SAINSBURY AND RUSSELL SKELTON, CANBERRA TIMES: TWIGGY'S BIG GIVEAWAY
- Analysis / Opinion
Canberra Times: Twiggy's big giveaway
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/lifestyle/twiggys-big-giveaway-20130325-...
30 Mar 13: "Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest is a champion of indigenous causes, yet is in dispute with traditional owners. By Michael Sainsbury and Russell Skelton. ... The issue for Forrest is simply whether his strident views on what he believes is in the best interests of Aboriginal people have inflamed the situation; whether his memories from childhood, his love for Scotty Black and the loss of so many of his Aboriginal friends precisely because of the cash handouts he so despises has narrowed his thinking. ... " By Michael Sainsbury and Russell Skelton
* OTHER ARTICLES:
- Audio Interview
Indigenous radio station 98.9FM Brisbane:
Let's Talk - Aunty Lilla Watson & Mary Graham
http://www.989fm.com.au/category/podcasts/lets-talk/
4 Apr 13
Listen to this interview on-line:
http://www.989fm.com.au/podcasts/lets-talk/aunty-lilla-watson-mary-graha...
- News
The West: Discrimination faced by our indigenous soldiers
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/16611068/discrimination-fa...
7 Apr 13: "In the lead up to ANZAC Day, 7News has uncovered the discrimination faced by our indigenous soldiers. Gary Oakley from the Australian War Memorial says at least one hundred indigenous soldiers fought and died for this country during World War One. "These are the only ones we know about. There has got to be many, many more - so they did pay the supreme sacrifice," says Oakley. ... Those who survived, nevertheless suffered terrible injustice upon their return to Australia."
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