Tuesday, April 6, 2010



Court documents show the group's spokesman, Joseph Roe, a Cultural Law Boss and head of the Goolarabooloo with signatures from over 200 members lodged a Federal Court writ on Thursday, challenging the validity of the process.

Mr Roe says he will be assembling the entire native title claimant group tomorrow to convince them the court action is needed.

"I need to talk to my mob firstly, and other people, to let them know what's really going on."They have to hear it from me before it goes on anywhere yet."

Extract from Hansard
[COUNCIL - Thursday, 22 October 2009]
p8488b-8495a


Hon Ken Baston; Hon Robin Chapple; Hon Norman Moore

When it comes to the Browse Basin gas development, as I say, the Northern Development Taskforce had been meeting and having lengthy discussions with the traditional owners, the KLC and others who are not party to the KLC. There seems to be some idea that the KLC represents all Indigenous claimants; that is not the case. The KLC represents a large majority of claimants right across the Kimberley, but it is interesting to note that the KLC does not represent the traditional owner from that area, Mr Joe Roe. Joe Roe is a former member of the KLC and has made a number of statements recently. Probably the most important one was in The Weekend Australian of Saturday, 3 October 2009. In an article by Nicolas Perpitch, Mr Roe, as the cultural representative of the area, was asked whether he would support the development at James Price Point. The article states —

He says he voted no as part of his responsibilities to protect the cultural “songline” from north of the Dampier Peninsula to James Price Point and south to Bidyadanga. “I don’t think you’ve got to give up one part of the area to save the Kimberley. I want to keep my culture and heritage alive, not destroy it,” …

Roe says it’s up to the federal and state governments to support health, education and other basics, and these shouldn’t be dependent on a land deal.

2 comments:

  1. This is most encouraging news. I hope that this process will lead to the truth and the best future for our children and grannies.

    If nothing else it will slow the whole thing down. The mad rush to get this vast industrial project going leaves the community off-balance and with no real say in what's happening. This,of course, is a common tactic used by governments and corporations around the world to push through unpopular developments.

    The communities of Broome and the Peninsular deserve as much time as they need,years if necessary,to discuss and fully understand what this industry will mean for us all. Right now we're being bulldozed off a cliff.

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  2. A great article indeed and a very detailed, realistic and superb analysis, of these books, very nice write up, it is really a nice book, Thanks.

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