No public notice for Dampier Peninsula Northern Development Taskforce meetings.

Redhand queries why there was NO PUBLIC NOTICE of the public meetings held by the Northern Development Taskforce representatives at Beagle Bay, Middle Lagoon, Lombadina and Djarindjin on the Dampier Peninsula last week 10th and 11th November, 2008? Why was the Broome public meeting the only one that was advertised?

Notice that it is advertised as an LNG precinct not a gas hub.

photo: Broome, Northern Development Taskforce Public Meeting notice in the 6th November, 2008 edition of the Broome Advertiser.

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE LNG PRECINCT SHORT LISTED SITES

The Northern Development Taskforce is holding a public meeting to discuss the next stages of the sites selection process and answer any questions members of the community may have on either the sites or the process.
The meeting will be held at:
Mercure Inn
Weld Street, Broome
Tuesday 11th November
6.30 – 8.30pm
Copies of the Evaluation Report are available at
www.doir.wa.gov/ndt (please note the deadline for public comment on this report is the same day, Tuesday the 11th at 5.00pm)
Please register your attendance by email to: ndt@doir.wa.gov.au

Red hand encourages all people to attend this meeting and to find their voices.
Hands off Country and Stand Up for the Planet.

Stand Up for the Planet, No Gas

It is imperative that we make the connection between gas processing and its detrimental effect on the well being and survival of the planet. Hands off country, Keep gas off the Kimberley coast and STAND UP for the planet.

Price's Pt is too precious

IS JAMES Price Point worth preserving in its natural state? After all, there is only bush, sand, pindan cliffs and rocks there.
Maybe so, but anyone who has taken the time to travel the 60km from Broome on the winding track which eventually reveals the pristine beauty of this unique spot could not but be moved.

Having made the trip myself on numerous occasions over the past 30 years to camp, fish and explore, it’s hard to believe this peaceful area may soon change forever.

Presently there are no unsightly human structures of any type to be seen, no matter how far you may squint into the far horizon.

Isn’t Price’s Point a very significant site for Aboriginal people who have strong connections to the Lurujarri Trail? In a previous newspaper, The Broome News, over 20 years ago the custodian law keeper of that area stated that Price’s Point was a “non-development zone to be used as per tradition for camping, learning and recreation”.

There are limited areas within easy driving distance where “Broomites” can get away and unwind, so why take Price’s Point away from them? Obviously offshore gas will bring wealth and mega development but is it worth the environmental cost?

Progress will no doubt mean a sealed road in the not-too distant future where we can reach Price’s Point in half the time and then won’t we be delighted to show our children the LNG hub.

Brian Kane, Broome
Opinion: Broome Advertiser, Thursday, October 30, 2008, Page12

Broome Advertiser 30 October 2008

Thank you Broome Advertiser, for keeping the proposed LNG gas hub on the Dampier Peninsular in the public domain, you’ll be pleased to know that the Broome Advertiser is in cyberspace before publishing date!

“Banners sprout in Broome as LNG campaign grows. Protests anger authorities.”

Red hand’s first response to this article is to Councillor Chris Mitchell. He describes the banner as “a visual distraction which would cause accidents”. That’s exactly what we think the gas hub would be on any of the four proposed locations, an enormous distraction that has the potential to cause massive environmental and social accidents.

“Its un-Broome like” to us to support an industry that will destroy the very fabric of the heritage and industries that have sustained and supported Broome for nearly 125 years. How would the Shire President advise the Broome community and Redhand to object to this proposal?

Carol Martin, we are sorry you are not bothered about the banner outside your office because we are very concerned about climate change, damage to the environment, taking land off people who have lived there for generations and destroying cultural connections. We are also concerned about destroying recreational opportunities for Kimberley people who go to James Price Point. It’s priceless. Also “development was about breaking the poverty cycle for Indigenous people.” This is about people, people being forced off their country and to give up their country just to receive services which most people in Australia consider basic or essential. It is not reasonable or equitable.

So Carol, you want to use the banner for recycling? Fantastic! We approve of recycling because we can rest assured that future banners will be recycled as well
“........the majority have made it clear we need development.” If this is fact based on accurate research, would she please provide her constituents access to these findings? Red hand would be very keen to publish her research on handsoffcountry.blogspot.com.

We will not give up the Kimberley without a fight. Hands off country and stand up for the planet.

New Stickers

Do you want a sticker ??? We've got them for you !!!

Barnett will take the land

Yesterday’s edition (16/10/8) of the Broome Advertiser published the following letter in the Opinion page:
“WA PREMIER Colin Barnett in my opinion based on his public attack on the Kimberley Land Council over the Inpex decision is simply playing a well=established race card played by all WA politicians in WA: “kick the blacks”.
The WA Premier’s total disregard for statutory obligations and due process, and the facts of the various interests’ roles in the Inpex Maret Island proposal, hopefully is not a sign of things to come from the State Government.
I recall Save the Kimberley group, Environs Kimberley, Federal Minister Peter Garrett, media identity George Negus, the Kimberley Land Council and the then-WA Government, Derby/West Kimberley and Broome Shire Councils all having a role, yet the Premier chose to single out and attack Kimberley Aboriginal people for stopping the Inpex development.
Premier Barnett, are you advocating that resource development should occur anywhere without the necessary environmental approvals, community stakeholders’ input, and non-compliance with Australian Law, in this case the Native Title Act, and other prescribed regulations?
May I remind you that we live in different times – it’s 2008 not 1968 – and even Aboriginal people have rights protected by Australian common law in 2008. Martin Sibosado Broome”.....end
And yesterday Premier Barnett did exactly that. The Northern Development Taskforce site selection panel report was released but Mr Barnett went further he said North Head was his preference. No consultation, no advice that he’d review the next phase of this grindingly slow process, a strategic assessment which should include advice from EPA (State) DEWHA (Commonwealth) the State will take the land.