Save the Kimberley
News articles:
2013
NIT - A Kimberley victory - Issue 307 Vol 12 - 17 April 2013
...incredible strength of character and determination of Traditional Owners such as the Roe and Hunter families and all the Goolarabooloo and Jabirr Jabirr peoples who stood... in opposition to the project.
In the years to come we hope the rest of Australia comes to acknowledge the sacrifices these people have made opposing this gas hub project. We believe their courage, their sacrifices, their amazing fortitude to be a shining example of what it means to protect Country. ...
It is sadly ironic the "compensation" proposed was to provide the basic services any other community and certainly what EVERY white community receives from government anyway...
Business Spectator - Kimberley gas must be processed onshore: WA Labor – 17 January 2013 - As part of a scramble to ensure gas from the $40 billion Kimberley gas hub is processed onshore, West Australian Labor leader Mark McGowan has said he would allow project participants to switch sites or pipe the gas to the Pilbara, according to The Australian Financial Review. …
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Kimberley-gas-must-be-processed-onshore-WA-Labor-pd20130116-3ZPYM?opendocument&src=rss
ABC News - Group opposes Woodside move to disturb site – 16 January 2013 - Aboriginal families from Broome have reacted angrily to the State Government's decision to allow Woodside to disturb archaeological sites as part of its Browse LNG project. The Indigenous Affairs Minister this week confirmed Woodside had been given permission to disturb two areas that have been registered as protected heritage sites for more than twenty years. …
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-16/local-group-opposes-decision-for-woodside-to-disturb-site/4467116?section=business
SMH - Floating LNG plant would be nuts: Barnett – 16 January 2013 - Federal and state authorities would be "nuts" to allow Woodside to replace the $40 billion gas hub proposed for James Price Point with a floating processing plant, Western Australia's Premier Colin Barnett has said. In a clear warning to the resources giant, Mr Barnett has said he would rather see the vast gas resource stay in the ground for years, rather than let the liquefied natural gas plant leave the mainland. …
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/floating-lng-plant-would-be-nuts-barnett-20130116-2ct98.html
SBS - Woodside granted access to sacred sites – 15 January 2013 - The West Australian government has sparked immediate protests after granting resources giant Woodside the right to disturb Aboriginal sacred sites as part of the proposed $40 billion James Price Point gas hub near Broome. Locals, environmentalists and Australian Greens leader Christine Milne have all condemned the granting of Woodside's application under the state's Aboriginal Heritage Act, which allows work in sand dunes at Walmadany. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1727140/Woodside-granted-access-to-sacred-sites
ABC News - Woodside allowed to disrupt Aboriginal heritage sites – 15 January 2013 - The Western Australian Government's decision to allow Woodside to disrupt archaeological sites north of Broome has provided more ammunition for gas hub opponents who say the system is geared against Aboriginal people. The Minister for Indigenous Affairs has granted Woodside approval to disrupt Aboriginal heritage sites as it plans a $40 billion liquefied natural gas precinct north of Broome. …
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-15/woodside-gets-nod-to-disrupt-aboriginal-heritage/4466010?§ion=news
Green Left - Woodside given permission to drill in Kimberley – 15 January 2013 - The Wilderness Society released this statement on January 15. *** The Broome community is outraged at the Minister’s decision announced today to give WA Aboriginal Heritage Act Section 18 clearance to allow Woodside to drill in the dunes west of Manari Road as part of their investigation work for an LNG processing site. …
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/53110
The Australian - Woodside granted access to sacred sites – 15 January 2013 - The State Government has sparked immediate protests after granting resources giant Woodside the right to disturb Aboriginal sacred sites as part of the proposed $40 billion James Price Point gas hub near Broome. Locals, environmentalists and Australian Greens leader Christine Milne have all condemned the granting of Woodside’s application under the State’s Aboriginal Heritage Act, which allows work in sand dunes at Walmadany. …
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/woodside-granted-access-to-disturb-sacred-aboriginal-sites-near-broome/story-e6frg6n6-1226554561708
The Sunday Times - Gas saviour now a pipe dream for Premier Colin Barnett – 12 January 2013 - COLIN Barnett is desperately clinging to his dream of a $40 billion gas hub at James Price Point in the Kimberley despite a now-widespread belief it is doomed. The Premier yesterday warned the multinational consortium behind the project led by energy giant Woodside that they ''don't own it'', referring to the gas riches in the Browse Basin off WA. And Mr Barnett, who has met the key players recently, insisted he would not let Woodside, and the second-biggest partner in the consortium Shell, abandon the James Price Point location in favour of a floating processing plant offshore a move that would rob the state of a fortune. …
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/gas-saviour-now-a-pipe-dream/story-e6frg12c-1226552732168
AAP, The West Australian - Legal action threatens Browse LNG project – 20 December 2012 - Woodside's proposed Browse LNG project has come under renewed threat with Green and indigenous groups launching legal action against the approval process for the controversial gas processing hub at James Price Point. The Wilderness Society WA announced that the conservation group and traditional owner, Goolarabooloo elder Richard Hunter, had commenced Supreme Court legal proceedings against the State's Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Environment Minister Bill Marmion over his approval in July. …
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/full-coverage/battle-of-broome/a/-/article/15687273/legal-action-threatens-browse-lng-project/
2012
SMH - WA govt bungles Browse land seizure again - 11 Dec 12 - The West Australian government has again bungled its application to compulsorily acquire land for Woodside's controversial Browse gas hub project in the Kimberley. The original notices were ruled invalid by the Supreme Court a year ago because they lacked clear descriptions of the land, as required by the Land Administration Act. ...
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/wa-govt-bungles-browse-land-seizure-again-20121210-2b4ju.html
ABC - Another mistake in land acquisition for gas hub site - 10 December 2012 - The West Australian Government has made another mistake in its attempt to compulsorily acquire land for the controversial Kimberley gas hub. Although traditional owners signed a deal to release land north of Broome for the project, the Government is compulsorily acquiring it in order to give the companies involved greater certainty. Its first effort was ruled invalid by the Supreme Court and the process was restarted in March. The second attempt has failed because the Department of Lands did not inform the Native Title Tribunal.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-10/mistake-in-process-for-gas-hub-land-acquisition/4418196?section=wa
SBS Living Black: WA Approves James Price Point Gas Hub
By Marc Tong
http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/aboriginal/highlight/page/id/243137/t/WA-Approves-James-Price-Point-Gas-Hub/in/english
23 Nov 12: "Goolarabooloo traditional owners and the Broome community to take the fight to the Federal Environment Minister. ... Goolarabooloo traditional owners and members of the Broome community are not giving up their fight to stop Woodside's proposed gas hub despite the state's environmental approval. The Broome Community No Gas Campaign says they will now take their case to the federal environment minister with whom the decision now lies. But spokeswoman Nik Wevers says the state Environment Minister Bill Marmion has jumped the gun, because state heritage approval hasn't gone through. ... "
SBS - Condemnation over gas hub approval – 19 November 2012 - Green groups have hit out at the Western Australian government's environmental approval of a gas project in the state's Kimberley region. It comes as the state environment minister approved the 30 billion dollar Woodside proposed gas hub planned for James Price Point north of Broome. … (includes audio clip)
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/radio/episode/242519/Condemnation-over-gas-hub-approval
Green Left - Kimberley: Gas hub threatens dinosaur tracks – 26 October 2012 - The threat facing Western Australia’s Kimberley region received national attention on October 5 when 10,000 people attended a concert for the Kimberley in Melbourne’s Federation Square. The John Butler Trio and Claire Bowditch performed and Missy Higgins and former Greens leader Bob Brown spoke to the crowd. The concert was organised by The Wilderness Society to raise support for the protection of the iconic area. The threat comes from a proposed $45 billion liquid natural gas (LNG) processing plant by Australian oil and gas company Woodside, which is seeking to drill for LNG offshore in the nearby Browse Basin. The gas hub, located at James Price Point near Broome, is opposed by many local Aboriginal groups, as it will be built over ancient cultural sites. There is also concern it will impact endangered species, such as the breeding and migration zones of humpback whales. …
http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/52638
See also: http://johnbutlertrio.com/2012/index.php/news/ and www.concertforthekimberley.com.au
Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Kimberley to be next resource bonanza - 23 October 2012 - The Kimberley in the north west of Australia has some of the biggest gas, coal, uranium and bauxite reserves in the world and plans to carve it up are well under way but there are concerns that development will destroy the environment. … MATTHEW CARNEY: Environmentalists, local residents and some Indigenous leaders say the gas hub will destroy the pristine Kimberley coast forever. PHILLIP ROE, TRADITIONAL OWNER, JAMES PRICE POINT: It's our heritage, our law, our culture and our songs in this, right through here is something very important and it's alive still today as it is. While we're alive that thing is still alive. …
http://www.kimberleycoast.com.au/News/index.php?id=6732305179468954872
The Australian - Kimberley heritage sold out by 'conspiracy of deceit' - 8 September 2012 - TO understand the Aboriginal heritage concerns of Kimberley law man Joseph Roe, it is necessary to appreciate the cultural meaning of life and death. How ancestral essence flows below the surface of the ground and the worlds are bridged by songs that contain the codes of behaviour fundamental to sustaining the balance and wellbeing of the land and its people. These concepts do not sit easily with the practicalities of modern-day life in an export-driven world. ….
http://www.kimberleycoast.com.au/News/index.php?id=3899810552757592538
The Australian - Gas giant Woodside silences advice on songlines - 8 September 2012 - WOODSIDE wrote to the West Australian government at least twice last year asking it to withdraw written advice about the possible existence of significant Aboriginal sites in areas disturbed by its proposed $40 billion James Price Point gas hub. Any damage to the sites integral to an important Aboriginal men's song cycle could leave the resources giant and its directors liable for criminal prosecution under the state's Aboriginal Heritage Act. …
http://www.kimberleycoast.com.au/News/index.php?id=6899838474681308234
SBS - Paying the Price: The battle for James Price Point – 20 August 2012 - Woodside's controversial plan for a gas hub at James Price Point in the pristine Kimberley region of Western Australia has pitched Indigenous communities against each other, reports Jeannette Francis. With Woodside set to make its final decision in the first half of next year, the battle for James Price Point is heating up. … (includes video clip)
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1684063/Pay%20ing-the-Price-The-battle-for-James-Price-Point
SBS - Protesters arrested near WA gas hub site – 15 August 2012 - Seven people protesting against a multi-billion-dollar gas plant in WA's Kimberley region have been arrested for failing to move on, police say. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1682918/Protesters-arrested-near-WA-gas-hub-site
SBS - WA gas hub proponents try to sway Brown - 6 August 2012 - Traditional owners will meet former Greens leader Bob Brown in a bid to sway opposition to Woodside Petroleum's proposed $30 billion Kimberley gas hub. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1678766/WA-gas-hub-proponents-try-to-sway-Brown
SBS - Woodside gas hub condition 'unworkable' – 16 July 2012 - A key environmental condition for Woodside's Browse gas project in Western Australia is unworkable, conservationists say. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1669416/Woodside-gas-hub-condition-unworkable
SBS - Native title backdown over $1.3b threats – 14 June 2012 - Threats to suspend a $1.3 billion native title deal for traditional owners of Woodside Petroleum's proposed $30 billion Kimberley gas hub site have seen the owners drop a bid to discontinue their claim over the area. The Goolarabooloo and Jabirr Jabirr peoples had applied to the Federal Court last week to discontinue their joint native title claim over the James Price Point site, in Western Australia's remote Kimberley region, as the Goolarabooloo had wanted to launch their own, separate claim. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1659291/Native-title-backdown-over-13b-threats
New Matilda - The Battle For James Price Point - 30 May 2012 - Woodside plans to build a LNG port in the Kimberleys to rival Qatar. Protests from activists and locals have fallen on deaf ears or been met with police batons, reports Marie Bout …
http://newmatilda.com/2012/05/30/kimberleys-gas-port-protest-quashed-0
SBS - 'Police state operation' in Broome: Greens – 14 May 2012 - The WA government has been accused of using police intimidation to head off protesters in Broome over a gas development at James Price Point. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1650257/Police-state-operation-in-Broome-Greens
2011
ABC Rural - Compensation deal with Traditional Owners over gas hub may not hold: Former Judge - 9 December 2011 -
A retired Federal Court judge has cast doubt on claims by the Western Australian Government it won't have to re-negotiate a compensation deal with Traditional Owners over a gas hub on the Kimberley coast. ...
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201112/s3387765.htm
Extended interview with retired judge Murray Wilcox: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rural/resource/201112/r868086_8410791.mp3
SBS - Barnett not worried about gas hub decision - 6 December 2011 - A West Australian Supreme Court decision to rule invalid the state government's plan to compulsorily acquire land for a gas hub in the Kimberley is not a big deal, the premier says. ….
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1610617/Barnett-not-worried-about-gas-hub-decision
SBS - Land ruling won't delay project: Woodside – 6 December 2011 - The WA government's bid to seize land for the Browse project has been set back, with a court deeming paperwork invalid but Woodside doesn't expect delays. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1610629/Land-ruling-wont-delay-project-Woodside
SBS - Kimberley 'still threatened by LNG' - 30 August 2011 - The Kimberley heritage listing has come under attack for not including the site of a proposed liquefied natural gas hub. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1583596/Kimberley-still-threatened-by-LNG
SBS - James Price Point gas hub fight intensifies - 20 July 2011 - The fight to stop a gas hub being built in the Kimberley, Western Australia, continues in full force, despite repeated police intervention, Jenny Curtis reports. … (includes video clip)
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1571525/James-Price-Point-gas-hub-fight-intensifies
SBS - Elders 'pressured into James Price Pt decision' – 16 May 2011 - Traditional owners of James Price Point near Broome say they were rushed into the decision to approve a massive gas plant on their land by the WA government's threat to compulsorily acquire the land. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1539126/Elders-pressured-into-James-Price-Pt-decision
SBS - James Price Point gas hub gets green light 6 May 2011 - Traditional owners in Broome have voted in favour of signing a deal with the state government and Woodside to allow a gas processing precinct at James Price Point. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1533206/James-Price-Point-gas-hub-gets-green-light
2009
SBS - Controversy over proposed James Price Pt gas hub – 27 April 2009 - There have been missed deadlines, Government threats to take their land, opposition from environmentalists, and dissent within their own communities. …
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1082787/Controversy-over-proposed-James-Price-Pt-gas-hub