Albert Wiggan meets Colin Barnett Beagle Bay

Wiggan says Premier didn't listen
By Vanessa Mills

http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2010/03/25/2856249.htm?site=kimberley

During the recent tour of the Dampier Peninsula, Premier Colin Barnett faced some opposition from several members of the Beagle Bay community. The Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett recently visited the Dampier Peninsula. ABC Kimberley Mornings spoke with him during the visit.

After this conversation, the Premier visited the Beagle Bay community.
A few days after, we spoke to prominent member of the community Albert Wiggan who says the meeting wasn't a satisfactory arrangement.
He says the residents felt they were not listened to and big issues for the community were avoided, including new funding arrangements and governance.

The following footage and text was provided by Eyes On Country.



Contrary to recently released media reports that Colin Barnett’s visit to Beagle Bay Community was a success, his fleeting visit may well have been a “feel good” sight seeing trip to him but the peoples of the Community, which also included those from outlying smaller communities that see Beagle Bay as their essential services hub, were left with the usual hollow feeling that accompanies a visit by government- no outcomes, no solutions and that once again their voices fell on deaf ears.
The general feeling after the gathering was that this was a trip for Colin to feel good about visiting those that he wishes to impose his Gas Hub Vision on, this was confirmed by his admission that in his eyes the Hub would go ahead regardless of how people felt and another subtle media relations campaign to claim that ”they cant say I haven’t talked with the people”. In plain speak-“ A way of covering your behind.”

The Community was made to wait over 2 hours from the scheduled start time in searing heat under the tin roof that is the Women’s Centre (which of course was made spick and span by the fabulous volunteers that run the group).The gathering was introduced by Neil Marshall (DIA) (although some mistakenly took him to be the Premiers Personal Body guard by the domineering manner in which he conducted himself). He apologised for the delayed start.

Nyul Nyul Elder Mr Steven Victor welcomed the Premier and guests to Country.

Approximately only 3 speakers were given time to ask questions and raise important issues before Mr Neil Marshall literally jumped from his chair and declared that question time was over, lunch was ready and people may only now mingle with the Premier. Everyone was completely surprised and many rushed to the Premier to continue raising issues, with Mr Marshall in close attendance.

The issues that were raised by the 3 speakers started with questioning the Premier on the major concerns of housing, health, education and employment. The next main issue was that despite previous meetings and decisions nothing had been done in ten years to address a Safe House for children, and the dilapidated Store and Women’s Centre. He was also questioned as to what he felt was a “real” job for Aboriginal people. The third issue raised was deep concern about the KLC process in relation to the proposed Gas Hub and how grass roots people still felt completely left out of the picture and that there did not seem to be any transparency to the process.

The main jist of Barnetts responses to these issues was that the Gas Hub would supply a flow of money to address these issues and he even elaborated on the design of the Hub saying that for example, that the beach at JPP would be left untouched as there was plans to build the pipes over the top of the beach.(maybe we wont need the sun umbrella anymore, the shade of the pipes should be great on a hot day at JPP).Really, the answers skirted around the real questions and led back to him doing his duty by meeting with people.

During mingle time Barnett, Gail Mc Gowan and Ken Baston (Member for Mining and Pastoral Region) were asked who scrutinises the KLC, such was the concern that things are not transparent yet they all were unable to answer this question. Mr Baston said he would find out and let people know. Stay tuned.

Not long after “mingle “ time and lunch(prepared by the wonderful Vanessa and staff from the Store and the wonderful Denise from the Bakery.) local man Albert Wiggan called for quiet and addressed the Premier and the gathering.Following is the passionate speech challenging the Premier on all levels to come to a new understanding of relationship on these issues.

It Is Not Going To Happen

“the land is more important than the LNG gas plant, simply because of our culture, our history, our traditional ways, and our people in the generations to come” Lorna Kelly

The reality is that the proposed LNG precinct, like all other simpler precincts around the world will be a huge ogre that will overwhelm all the other existing industries. It will use all our precious ground water, pollute the cleanest of air and destroy the links to a sustainable food sources. It will leave the land pillaged, it will be viewed as an utter environmental catastrophe, and furthermore the local population, in the most part will still be unemployed and abandoned to make do with the clemencies of climate change and social disparity.

Thousands of people all over Australia and the world are also very strongly committed to working to ensure that the industrialisation of the Kimberley coast and hinterlands never happens. Climate change will be viewed and acted upon seriously, human rights and the rights to inform consent will be upheld, peoples heritage and cultural connections will be maintained and people will exercise their democratic rights to protest, object, obstruct and question. The old ways of doing things is over; it is not going to happen.

Barnett and all those involved should be forced to rectify and resolve the prevailing social, economic and environment devastation that is currently being experienced in the Pilbara. This needs to be done, well before they try to import and impose these deplorable and appalling predicaments into the Kimberley. Lets see how Gorgon will be managed.

Get it right, fix it in the Pilbara first before you even assume that you can come into the Kimberley with the same deceitful rhetoric and think you are going to be believed or trusted.

Show us, one successful operation or project, anywhere, one precedent in Australia or Overseas, where local communities, their employment ranks, their health and education or their social standing has improved when multinationals have come into their country or region, promising the world and delivering just more social, economic and environment marginalisation.

There never has been a sincere review or genuine investigations into how Dampier Peninsular communities and Broome residents judge their living environment, what their core values and their life dreams are and how they perceive the proposed KLNG project will affect their life qualities. People have never been given the choice.

DSD officials and their chosen social assessors came into the Broome community with the message that the proposed Kimberley LNG was inevitable and they continually pushed this line. So, right from the start, people were asking what the point of all the assessments when public government officials’ idea for community consultation is a sales pitch to sell the aspirations of the state?

KLC are still conducting the Aboriginal Social Impact Assessments and the Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) is still in its infancy, environmental surveys are still being conducted and we all wait with baited breath for Vol 2 & 3 of the Social Assessments Reports.

The media releases continually coming out of the Barnett’s office are predetermining the outcomes of the process and fuels people’s subsequent justified mistrust of the current Approval and Assessment Processes. Totalitarianism does not nurture public confidence, it totally undermines peoples; rights to objection, their opportunities of reply and their faith in the system.

Lives have already been greatly affected by this proposal and they will continue to suffer all the calamities of big money- big business invasion.

Kimberley Land Council tokenistic approach and the establishment of the Traditional Owners Negotiations Committee TONC have effectively locked out many Native Title Claimants.

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,

it sings because it has a song.

It is not the Governments or the multinationals right to presume that they can come into Country and manage heritage sites and secret business. You break Country, you break the very last connection people have with themselves. Traditional Owners do not have the authority to sign off on Law, or cultural heritage issues; this is the jurisdiction of the Cultural Law Bosses. People of the Law would never sign away the Law, the Culture and the Country, so promptly, so proudly!

The Lurujarri Songline is just that, a song line. It is not heritage sites dotted around, its a cultural moving living corridor, a walking museum, a Songline, with its own rhythm, its own chorus, its own beat and its own instruments. Across Australia Songlines are connected.

You cut the song in half with a proposed 14 trains LNG processing site, the biggest in the world, twice the size of Qatar, (which currently operates 7 trains) and think you can still sing? The rhythm is broken. People forget the words and the songs, the stories, their connection to country, its fruits, its seasons, its medicines.

The proponents want this precinct as far south as they can push the boundaries, so they can save Walmadan (JJP) tableland for future expansion. And we do not want it at all.

They need access to deeper water! But so do the whales, turtles and dolphins, bringing them close into the shore. Deep water troughs are also very important for marine life as they act like corridor assisting marine creatures to move freely, feeding along the fringing reef systems, whilst working with the tidal movements.

No habitat, nothing to monitor. And if by some chance monitoring tests show that the sediment deposition and turbidity was causing the corals and reef system to die and seagrasses are being suffocated and there were invasive species and terrestrial introduce pests, what would the government really do? CLOSE THE PRECINCIT? I think not.

What is the point of trying to make the site less visible from the ocean when the light emissions, the huge tankers, the jetties, the berths, and the breakwaters, the pipelines, the flares, the smell, the noise and vibrations, sediment deposition and turbidity, groundwater abstraction, atmospheric emissions and the dust emissions will be all encompassing and all consuming?

According to DSD Map, the LNG main operations will be place directly over the most substantial community of remnant rainforest (Vine Thickets) within the area. They wish to tuck their operations in behind the Holocene sand dunes in order to shelter from the prevailing winds, however once they start their proposed vegetation/habitat clearing and excavation of the Remnant Rainforest, the Holocene sand dunes with become highly unstable and will eventually blow away.

This proposed processing plants will need – 1000 hectares, Infrastructure and facilities 500 – 1000 hectares, land and Water for plants – 1000, Workers accommodation and light industrial areas 200 – 500 hectares giving us a total of 2700 – 3500 hectares which would be fenced (known as the Exclusion Zone) A similar area of about 3000 hectares around this fenced area would be set aside as a Statutory Buffer Zone.

The precinct features will included: 14 LNG Trains, Acid-gas removal unit, Fractionation unit, Jetty spur, up to five loading berths, methanol processing fertilizer plant, water desalination plants & distribution, sewage treatment plant, concrete factory, groundwater pumping stations and their own power generation facilities.

According to the Map, this supply route will only take you as far as to Walmadan (James Price Point), access to Pidirakunbunu, Kulmukarakun, Flat Rock, Kurakaramunjuno, or Minarringy will be completely blocked off.

The community is dubious about the whole SIA process and currently has no expectations that the impending subsequent volumes of reports will signify the truth.

Hands Off Country, Standing Up for the Planet

The interests we are up against are MASSIVE

The following email was send to Redhand from John John
The interests you are up against are MASSIVE. You need to make sure that you know who you are going up against and get SMART with your campaigning.

Research is important, so is developing a strategy to win support from people not just in WA, but the world over.

Here are some things to look at VERY CLOSELY and consider carefully how you are going to respond.

1. Major Companies behind Gas Project
http://www.karoongas.com.au/Projects/OffshoreBrowseBasin/tabid/55/Default.aspx
http://www.conocophillips.com.au/business/developments/index.htm

2. Key People you should look at behind the Project - Research their histories
http://www.karoongas.com.au/AboutUs/CorporateInformation/tabid/57/Default.aspx
http://www.conocophillips.com.au/About/index.htm

3. Key Office Locations
http://www.karoongas.com.au/ContactUs/tabid/69/Default.aspx
http://www.conocophillips.com.au/Contact/index.htm

4. Other Research Resources

Book: Indigenous Peoples: Resource Management & Global Rights

Book Description
Rapid industrial development and urban growth increasingly threaten indigenous peoples and their ways of life. As a result, a grassroots movement is spreading among indigenous cultures, and the 1992 Rio Earth Summit catalyzed a UN legal investigation. Indigenous Peoples challenges the assumption that these processes are empowering indigenous peoples in tangible ways by examining the ongoing work, and offers a detailed analysis of the legal, political and institutional implications. This volume is an engaging study of the issues involved in indigenous peoples' rights.
• http://www.amazon.com/Indigenous-Peoples-Resource-Management-Global/dp/905166978X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234057610&sr=1-1

Book: Rethinking Resource Management: Justice, Sustainability and Indigenous People

Book Description
This book offers students and practitioners a sophisticated and convincing framework for rethinking the usual approaches to resource management. It uses case studies to argue that professional resource managers do not take responsibility for the social and environmental consequences of their decisions on the often vulnerable indigenous communities they affect. It also discusses the invisibility of indigenous people' values and knowledge within traditional resource management. It offers a new approach to social impact assessment methods which are more participatory and empowering. The book employs a range of case studies from Australia, North America and Norway.
• http://www..amazon.com/Rethinking-Resource-Management-Sustainability-Indigenous/dp/041512333X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234057610&sr=1-3

Lombadina Welcoming Signs

Some of the welcoming signs to greet Northern Development Taskforce into Lombadina when they arrived to discuss the LNG gas hub proposal on the Kimberley coast.

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.

Public Meeting on the Future of the Kimberley

We received this message with a request to blog it.

Redhand will have a digital finger at this meeting and we will endeavour to put it out there as soon as possible.

Hello Redhand

Wondered if maybe you could remind everyone of the public meeting in two days time; this Wednesday in Cottesloe, 7.30pm.
And tell ‘em, keep an eye out for Colin!
Also, are we able to have feedback (posted on blog?) from someone that was there, after the meeting? Petition in pictures, fantastic idea and the Goorlil message, beautiful
Many thanks,
Be Vocal
Public meeting ‘this Wednesday’ in Colin Barnett’s electorate of Cottesloe
The Wilderness Society WA will be holding a public meeting on the future of the Kimberley region.RSVP essential – wa@wilderness.org.au or 9420 7255When: Wednesday 5th November 7:30pmWhere: Cottesloe Surf Lifesaving Club, 87 Marine Parade, Cottesloe , Western Australia Refer (to previous posts)
Queries? Contact Renae Williams: 08 9420 7255 or 0433 295 385
Community Campaigner
The Wilderness Society (WA)City West Lotteries House,
2 Delhi StreetWest
Perth WA 6005

Public meeting in Colin Barnett’s electorate of Cottesloe

Hello,I am organising a public meeting in Colin Barnett’s electorate of Cottesloe, for next Wednesday 5th November, and would like to know if you are able to help promote it on your website?
If you have any questions about it, please give me a call, on
0433 295 385. Loving your work by the way!

The Wilderness Society WA will be holding a public meeting on the future of the Kimberley region.

When: Wednesday 5th November 7:30pm
Where: Cottesloe Surf Lifesaving Club, 87 Marine Parade, Cottesloe , Western Australia
The event will feature presentations from:
Richard Costin, Whale Researcher and Filmmaker, who will be presenting some spectacular footage and discussing the results of recent Humpback whale survey research.
Josh Coates, Kimberley Campaigner,
The Wilderness Society
Tim Nichol, Mining expert and Environmentalist, Conservation Council of WA.
Filmmaker John Totte, Blue Office Productions, will be showcasing never before seen footage of the Humpback whales and the Kimberley taken on a recent research trip.
RSVP essential – wa@wilderness.org.au or 9420 7255
Thank you Renae Williams
Community Campaigner
The Wilderness Society (WA)City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi Street
West Perth WA 6005, 08) 9420 7255,0433 295 385

Interview with Kerrianne Cox, speaking about proposed LNG Hub planned for her country

Youtube: http://youtu.be/Vs66-XG6JkA

Kerrianne Cox speaks about the impact of the proposed gas processing hub on her country and the far-reaching and the extremely negative consequences for both her community of Beagle Bay and the outlaying Indigenous Outstations and eco tourism ventures.

Gas processing and explorations will result in the destruction of traditional Indigenous economies and communities. The Indigenous peoples of the Dampier land have legitimate reasons for being deeply concerned about the planned gas hub in their country as developers interests normally prevail
wherever and whenever Indigenous peoples interests and rights clash with development projects.

http://www.kerriannecox.com/

WE HAD TO SPLIT THE INTERVIEW INTO TWO PARTS BECAUSE YOUTUBE HAS A RESTRICTION FOR BIG FILES (sorry for the inconvenience)

- INTERVIEW TEXT -Date & Location : saturday 20 October 2008, 5.20pm, Beagle Bay - Dampier Peninsula - Western Australia

( the text of the interview will be online soon )

Youtube: http://youtu.be/BCG0XalcRCU