What’s going on in the Kimberley?
The Kimberley region in Western Australia is of great importance to the Australian Aborigines who live there. And after generous natural gas reserves were discovered in the nearby Indian Ocean, multi-national corporations decided that the area might be important to them as well. Now major companies are super keen to get started on a multi billion dollar project to build gas plants on the Maret Islands off the coast of WA.
The Western Australian government has been happy to fast track environmental assessments, but the final approval comes down to the Aboriginal tribes who have traditional ownership of the land.
One big problem is that the construction and operation of plants and refineries is likely to harm the natural environment. Some of the more grave possibilities include direct damage to indigenous flora, fauna and coral reefs.
Native species and habitats
To begin with, the construction of liquid natural gas (LNG) plants or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) plants would alter the landscape considerably. Industrial waste would affect the coral reefs, which are susceptible to bleaching. The natural habitat for many indigenous species would need to be cleared in order to set up the plants in the first place.
The turtles and dugongs which inhabit the surrounding islands are among the most vulnerable species in the region. Loss of habitat would put a lot of pressure on the sustainability of these already small animal populations. A nursing ground for endangered humpback whales has also been discovered in the vicinity. Building a gas plant on a nearby island is likely to be an extreme obstacle to the conservation of these creatures.
To find out more about the environmental impact of development in the Kimberley region, go to
www.savethekimberley.com.
Indigenous rights and culture
The local Aboriginal tribes are struggling to come to a conclusion on the issue. The decision of whether to accept a financial package in exchange for land has been very contentious. Opinion on the matter is divided, even within communities. While some believe that accepting the deals could be a positive economic choice for the community, others are convinced that getting involved with commercial forces will lead to trouble.
Albert Wigan is an Aboriginal man raising his young family at one of the probable development sites. He says,
“it’s going to divide us because that’s all money has done to my people… it’s made my people greedy. The more money, the bigger the tension.”
Edna O’Malley, a Miriuwung elder from Kununurra thinks otherwise.
“What we'd like to see in the next 30 years, if this gas thing comes right, is Aboriginal people not living in the third world. We're supposed to be the richest people. For the people that own the land, we are the poorest people around.”
What’s being done?
The future of offshore mining in WA rests in the hands of the Kimberley Land Council (KLC). The KLC is making efforts to strike a balance between environment, economy and culture.
"Our people are living in absolute poverty and crisis. We can't turn our back on that. We've got, we have a responsibility to try and change that," argues Wayne Bergman, executive director of the KLC. However, the KLC wants all mining and exploration in the region to be stopped until it has assessed all the development sites for an LPG plant.
Opposition for the Kimberley issue has been growing steadily and has spread to a national level, largely due to the efforts made by the ‘Save the Kimberley’ group. Some traditional owners have joined the campaign, and believe that the short-term economic boom will not be worth the long-term environmental and cultural damage. The uproar has been strongest against the $40 billion project proposal by the Japanese multi national corporation, Inpex.
However, in September 2008, Inpex threw a spanner in the works when they made a surprise deal to build a $24 billion gas plant in Darwin. Although the company says that the deal won’t affect negotiations in WA, many analysts think that their decision could set a precedent for other major gas companies. It’s possible that the traditional land owners will continue to be left out of the economic loop.
This page was created by Siddarth and kate elise
How do I know this?
’Barnett pursues Inpex gas plant’, ABC News, 16 September 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/16/2365838.htm
Carney, Matthew, ‘Bran Nue Deal’ TV Report, Four Corners, Aired 22 September 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2008/20080922_
kmb/interviews.htm
Fitzsimmons, Hamish, ‘Kimberley threatened by mining boom- Australian Broadcasting corporation’ ABC News, 20 March 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/20/2195433.htm
‘Inpex won’t rule out future gas deals with WA’, ABC News, 26 September 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/26/2375096.htm?site=kimberley
‘Kimberley Land Council calls for a mining halt’, ABC News, 25 July 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/25/2314718.htm
Kirk, Alexandra ‘ Garrett unveils long term green study for Kimberley region’ ABC News, 5 February 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/05/2154988.htm
‘Scientists discover a massive humpback whale nursery off the WA coast’, ABC News, 12 August 2008
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/12/2332256.htm
Williams, Ruth, ‘Mining Rites’, the Age, 17 May 2008
http://business.theage.com.au/business/mining-rites-20080516-2f63.html
