2023-04-26
WA Premier Mark McGowan symbolically marked the beginning of construction of the Perdaman fertiliser plant on the Burrup Peninsula today.
The Burrup Peninsula is home to the oldest surviving rock artworks in the world which have been subject to strategic assessments under sections 9 and 10 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The Section 9 assessment failed to grant protection to these ancient Indigenous art, which are culturally significant to First Nations communities across WA.
A determination by the Federal Minister for Environment, Tanya Plibersek, on the Section 10 assessment remains outstanding with no delivery timeframe.
Quotes attributable to Australian Greens spokesperson for First Nations and Resources, and Yamatji Noongar woman, Senator Dorinda Cox:
“In the year of the Voice to Parliament referendum, and under an Albanese Government that claims to want to implement the Uluru Statement for the Heart in full, the voices of First Nations people are not being listened to today on the Burrup Peninsula.
“All levels of government must listen to, and take seriously, the concerns of Traditional Owners who are working tirelessly to protect and preserve their cultural heritage and connection with Country. This is non-negotiable.
“Manufactured consent, consent obtained through coercion, or by limiting the rights of First Nations people goes against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
“It’s premature of the Premier and Minister King to be on the Burrup peninsula for a photo opportunity signalling the start of Perdaman’s fertiliser plant when a determination on the section 10 has not been made.
“ I call on Minister Plibersek to provide a clear and substantial decision on the section 10 assessment to the Traditional Owners who lodged it - the future of their ancestral connection to their country has been hanging in the balance for months already.
“Any removal or displacing of the Murujuga rock art today will demonstrate the blatant disregard and disrespect for all First Nations people in this country.”