WGAR News: Wide ramifications for EPA decisions from trial: David Weber, ABC [JPP gas hub case]

Newsletter date: 11 June 2013

Contents:

* ABC: Chief Justice reserves decision in gas hub case
* David Weber, ABC: Wide ramifications for EPA decisions from trial [JPP gas hub case]
* ABC: Greens call for EPA to explain board behaviour
* Background to the Save The Kimberley Campaign - James Price Point, north of Broome, WA

* ABC Mildura - Swan Hill: Fighting for land nothing new for Aboriginal elder
* ABC Mildura - Swan Hill: Were Aborigines Australia's first 'squatters'?
* Audio Boo: Fighting for land nothing new for Murra Wurra Paakintji woman
* Audio Boo: Possible Indigenous claim to Lake Victoria

* Antinuclear: Northern Territory nuclear waste dump - photographic exhibition on view in London
* Brisbane & Tennant Creek Exhibitions: Manuwangku - Under the Nuclear Cloud: Photographs by Jagath Dheerasekara
* CAAMA: Health professional challenges Senator Scullion on Muckaty
* Background to the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump

* CAAMA: Pam Reilly interviews Gail Mabo
* NITV News: 21 years after Mabo, how far have Indigenous rights come?
* NIRS: Reflections on Yothu Yindi frontman's land rights campaign
* Perth Now: Native title claims should speed up: Oppn
* Background to Mabo and Native Title

* ABC: CHIEF JUSTICE RESERVES DECISION IN GAS HUB CASE

- News

ABC: Chief Justice reserves decision in gas hub case
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-05/chief-justice-reserves-decision-in...
5 Jun 13: "The Chief Justice has reserved his decision in the Wilderness Society's case against the approval of the James Price Point gas hub, north of Broome. ... As the state was putting its case, the Chief Justice Wayne Martin said, "If I decide the assessment was undertaken over four years, your case has significant problems." He referred to the assessment process and said questions were decided by people who should not have been voting. ... The Chief Justice said he would publish his reasons as soon as he could."

* DAVID WEBER, ABC: WIDE RAMIFICATIONS FOR EPA DECISIONS FROM TRIAL

- News and Analysis

ABC: Wide ramifications for EPA decisions from trial
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-07/wide-ramifications-for-epa-decisio...
7 Jun 13: "On the face of it, a court case against the environmental approval of an abandoned project seems like a silly waste of time and money. Yet The Wilderness Society's action against the multi-billion dollar James Price Point gas hub, which operator Woodside dumped in April, has now been heard in the WA Supreme Court. But it's not the Wilderness Society that's been pushing for the case to continue, it's the State Government. The environmental activist group asked for the case to be adjourned after it became clear there would be no Woodside-operated gas hub at the site. The government said no." By David Weber

- Related News

Australian: Woodside lifts lid on Browse blowout
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/woodside-lifts-li...
10 Jun 13: "THE Woodside Petroleum-led Browse liquefied natural gas project off the coast of Western Australia has revealed for the first time the capital cost of the controversial development at James Price Point in a formal declaration to the state and federal governments. The five Browse partners have also requested that their retention lease on the big offshore gas fields in the Browse Basin be varied from a version pushed by former Woodside chief Don Voelte that committed them to studying onshore development at James Price Point, which is 60km north of Broome." Matt Chambers

ABC: BHP sells off stake in $45 billion Browse gas project
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-08/bhp-signs-off-on-45-billion-browse...
8 Jun 13: "BHP Billiton has signed off on the sale of its stake in the $45 billion Browse gas project in Western Australia. The $1.7 billion sale to PetroChina was finalised late yesterday. It comes less than two months after operator Woodside announced it would shelve the project at James Price Point near Broome."

* ABC: GREENS CALL FOR EPA TO EXPLAIN BOARD BEHAVIOUR

- News

ABC: Greens call for EPA to explain board behaviour
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-10/greens-call-for-epa-board-member-i...
10 Jun 13: "The WA Greens want to know if board members of the Environmental Protection Authority who declared interests during assessments continued to carry the assessments out. It has been revealed that two board members declared interests in more than 40 assessments over ten years, including the James Price Point gas hub proposal. The Wilderness Society has challenged the gas hub approval in the Supreme Court saying that board members who had an interest should not have been involved in the assessment at all. The final approval was made alone by the EPA chairman, Dr Paul Vogel."

* BACKGROUND TO THE SAVE THE KIMBERLEY CAMPAIGN - JAMES PRICE POINT, NORTH OF BROOME, WA

Last updated: 6 June 2013

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/22/wgar-news-background-to-the-save-the-...

* ABC MILDURA - SWAN HILL: FIGHTING FOR LAND NOTHING NEW FOR ABORIGINAL ELDER

- News

ABC Mildura - Swan Hill: Fighting for land nothing new for Aboriginal elder
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/06/07/3777118.htm
7 Jun 13: "An aboriginal elder from far western New South Wales is threatening to take a case to the high court to prove her ownership of Lake Victoria. The lake supplies parts of South Australia with drinking water. Dorothy Lawson's family has been in the area for thousands of years, but will argue a legal technicality, under a law known as Nullum Tempus. That means they had rights as squatters on the land. In Dorothy Lawson's mind, however, the idea of having the right to squat on her country is nothing new." By Deb Banks and Damien Hooper (ABC Local)

* ABC MILDURA - SWAN HILL: WERE ABORIGINES AUSTRALIA'S FIRST 'SQUATTERS'?

- Video

ABC Mildura - Swan Hill: Were Aborigines Australia's first 'squatters'?
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/06/06/3776284.htm
6 Jun 13: "An Indigenous family from the Western Division of New South Wales is on its way to finding out, and say they'll take the question to the High Court, if necessary. Murra Wurra Paakintji elder Dorothy Lawson says her grandparent's rights as "squatters" were over-looked when authorities built a water storage basin at Lake Victoria in 1922. She and her son Philip are seeking damages from SA Water for the taking of their family's land and waters, and for pain and suffering due to desecration of the area - classed as one of the largest pre-industrial burial sites in the world." By Deb Banks (ABC Local)

* AUDIO BOO: FIGHTING FOR LAND NOTHING NEW FOR MURRA WURRA PAAKINTJI WOMAN

- Audio

Audio Boo: Audio - Fighting for land nothing new for Murra Wurra Paakintji woman
http://audioboo.fm/boos/1437381-audio-fighting-for-land-nothing-new-for-...
7 Jun 13: "An aboriginal elder from far western New South Wales is threatening to take a case to the high court to prove her ownership of Lake Victoria. The lake supplies parts of South Australia with drinking water. Dorothy Lawson's family has been in the area for thousands of years, but will argue a legal technicality, under a law known as Nullum Tempus. That means they had rights as squatters on the land. ABC Local"

* AUDIO BOO: POSSIBLE INDIGENOUS CLAIM TO LAKE VICTORIA

- Audio

Audio Boo: Audio - Possible Indigenous claim to Lake Victoria
http://audioboo.fm/boos/1437057-audio-possible-indigenous-claim-to-lake-...
7 Jun 13: "An aboriginal elder from far western New South Wales is threatening to take High Court action to prove her ownership of Lake Victoria. Dorothy Lawson's family have been in the area for thousands of years and she hopes to argue that under a legal technicality they have rights as squatters on the land. Deb Banks - ABC News 24"

* ANTINUCLEAR: NORTHERN TERRITORY NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP - PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION ON VIEW IN LONDON

- News

Antinuclear: Northern Territory nuclear waste dump - photographic exhibition on view in London
http://antinuclear.net/2013/06/08/northern-territory-nuclear-waste-dump-...
8 Jun 13: "NT radioactive waste dump plan under the lens in London, 8 June 13 The lives of some of the locals and landscapes threatened by a planned national radioactive waste dump in the Northern Territory will feature in a leading international photo festival in London this weekend.
You can view the exhibition at: http://jd.photoshelter.com/gallery/Manuwangku-Under-the-Nuclear-Cloud-NT...
Manuwangku, Under the Nuclear Cloud profiles the community resisting the federal government’s plan to build the radioactive waste dump on Aboriginal land at Muckaty, north of Tennant Creek in the Barkly region of Central Australia."

- Past Event

Manuwangku - Under the Nuclear Cloud
Photographs by Jagath Dheerasekara
http://jd.photoshelter.com/page1
"London.
Rich Mix, East London (35~57, Bethnal Green Road, E16LA)
PICS Festival by PhotoVoice - Multimedia Programme ...
Saturday 8 June 2013 - 12:00 ~ 18:00"

* BRISBANE & TENNANT CREEK EXHIBITIONS: MANUWANGKU - UNDER THE NUCLEAR CLOUD: PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAGATH DHEERASEKARA

- Upcoming Events

Event: Sat 13 July - Sun 11 August 2013: Brisbane, Qld
Manuwangku - Under the Nuclear Cloud
Photographs by Jagath Dheerasekara
Venue: Queensland Centre for Photography
"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."
jagath dheerasekara photographs and story: http://jd.photoshelter.com/gallery/Manuwangku-Under-the-Nuclear-Cloud-NT...
jagath dheerasekara homepage: http://jd.photoshelter.com/index
jagath dheerasekara book: http://au.blurb.com/books/4159127-manuwangku-under-the-nuclear-cloud
jagath dheerasekara - My Exhibitions & Events: http://jd.photoshelter.com/page1
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: [scroll down page] http://jd.photoshelter.com/page1
WGAR Background to the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump in NT: http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-proposed-muckaty-nu...

Event: Tue 27 August 2013: Tennant Creek, NT
Manuwangku - Under the Nuclear Cloud
Photographs by Jagath Dheerasekara
Opening: Tue 27 August 2013
Venue: Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Cultural Centre
"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."
jagath dheerasekara photographs and story: http://jd.photoshelter.com/gallery/Manuwangku-Under-the-Nuclear-Cloud-NT...
jagath dheerasekara homepage: http://jd.photoshelter.com/index
jagath dheerasekara book: http://au.blurb.com/books/4159127-manuwangku-under-the-nuclear-cloud
jagath dheerasekara - My Exhibitions & Events: http://jd.photoshelter.com/page1
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://jd.photoshelter.com/page1
WGAR Background to the proposed Muckaty nuclear waste dump in NT: http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-proposed-muckaty-nu...

* CAAMA: HEALTH PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES SENATOR SCULLION ON MUCKATY

- Audio

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Health professional challenges Senator Scullion on Muckaty
http://caama.com.au/health-professional-challenges-senator-scullion-on-m...
6 Jun 13: "Dr Bill Williams the President of the Medical Association for Prevention of War responds to Senator Nigel Scullion’s statements that a radioactive waste dump at Muckaty is necessary."

- Related Audio

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
http://caama.com.au/radio#tabs-6
http://caama.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/am-7-06.mp3
7 Jun 13: "A peak medical anti nuclear lobby group has criticised Northern Territory Senator Nigel Scullion over his recent comments about the safety of storing nuclear waste at a proposed site near Tennant Creek."

* BACKGROUND TO THE PROPOSED MUCKATY NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP:

Last updated: 6 June 2013

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/22/background-to-the-proposed-muckaty-nu...

* CAAMA: PAM REILLY INTERVIEWS GAIL MABO

- Video

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association: Pam Reilly interviews Gail Mabo
http://caama.com.au/pam-reilly-interviews-gail-mabo
7 Jun 13

* NITV NEWS: 21 YEARS AFTER MABO, HOW FAR HAVE INDIGENOUS RIGHTS COME?

- Video

SBS World News: 21 years after Mabo, how far have Indigenous rights come?
Source: Craig Quartermaine, NITV News
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1774527/21-years-after-Mabo-how-far-h...
4 Jun 13: "Twenty-one years ago the landmark Mabo High Court decision changed the landscape of Indigenous affairs. Some of the nation's top campaigners and academics have gathered in Alice Springs to talk about shaping the future, and to examine how effective that historic decision has been."

* NIRS: REFLECTIONS ON YOTHU YINDI FRONTMAN'S LAND RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

- Audio

National Indigenous Radio Service: Reflections on Yothu Yindi frontman's land rights campaign
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29344/Reflections-on-Yothu-Yind...
4 Jun 13: "By NIRS/NITV: The front man of famous Australian band Yothu Yindi, who this week passed away, is being remembered as a great musician, educator, cultural leader and land rights campaigner. ... Yothu Yindi’s hit song Treaty is seen as a contemporary anthem for Indigenous rights in Australia. NITV News arts correspondent Nancia Guivarra reflected on the man's contribution to the fight for land rights."

* PERTH NOW: NATIVE TITLE CLAIMS SHOULD SPEED UP: OPPN

- News

Perth Now: Native title claims should speed up: Oppn
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/native-title-claims-should...
5 Jun 13: "THE coalition will take a stand against the "nonsense" of Aboriginal land being used for conservation at the expense of indigenous development, if it wins the election. Opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Nigel Scullion flagged changes he would help drive through as he addressed a native title conference in Alice Springs on Wednesday. "If I am lucky enough to become the minister after the next election, my priority will be to do whatever I can to speed up the process (of native title)," Senator Scullion said." Lisa Martin

- Related Audio

National Indigenous Radio Service: Native Title Conference 2013 wraps up
http://www.nirs.org.au/blog/NEWS/article/29353/Native-Title-Conference-2...
6 Jun 13: "The Federal Opposition’s Indigenous Affairs Spokesperson, Nigel Scullion, has given the closing address at this year’s National Native Title Conference in Alice Springs. He says if the Coalition gets into power in September, they would aim to speed up the Native Title process for claimants and work with and support groups to develop their land."

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association:
http://caama.com.au/radio#tabs-6
http://caama.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/am-5-06.mp3
6 Jun 13: "The winner of Australia’s premier literary prize has told the 2013 National Native Title Conference that it was not acceptable for others to decide what is best for Aboriginal and Islander Australians."

* BACKGROUND TO MABO AND NATIVE TITLE:

Last updated: 29 May 2013

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/07/02/background-to-mabo-and-native-title

- - -

About WGAR News:

http://indymedia.org.au/2012/04/30/about-wgar-news-working-group-for-abo...

Subscription to 'WGAR News' is free.

'WGAR News' monitors the media, including alternative media, focusing on:

* the Australian Federal government intervention into Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal communities;
* the Aboriginal sovereignty movement and the Aboriginal tent embassies;
* Justice Reinvestment, Aboriginal imprisonment and Aboriginal Deaths in Custody;
* Aboriginal land rights and mining;
* other Aboriginal rights issues; and
* upcoming Aboriginal rights events around Australia.

'WGAR News' publishes information and opinions from a wide range of sources.
These opinions expressed are not necessarily the opinions of WGAR.

The e-newsletters include media releases, opinion pieces, news items, audio, videos and events.

Subscribers can expect to receive about 6 e-newsletters each week.

To subscribe, email wgar.news@gmail.com and include the words "subscribe WGAR News" in the message header.

To unsubscribe, email wgar.news@gmail.com and include the words "unsubscribe WGAR News" in the message header.

Sample WGAR News e-newsletters:
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/03/about-wgar-news-sample-wgar-news-e-ne...

- - -

WGAR events postings:
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/03/about-wgar-news-wgar-events-postings

WGAR background info web-pages:
http://indymedia.org.au/2013/01/03/about-wgar-news-wgar-background-info-...

- - -

You can also subscribe to our second list 'Contact WGAR' which provides a point of contact and includes occasional activities and events.

To subscribe, email contactwgar@gmail.com and include the words "subscribe WGAR Contact" in the message header.

- - -

WGAR: Working Group for Aboriginal Rights (Australia)