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| Goolarabooloo People in Country EPA Board Member 2011 |
What is the
purpose of the National Heritage register? The ‘heritage value of fossilised dinosaur
track sites that occur in Broome Sandstone is recognised and is listed as a
National Heritage site. Who do these faceless trans-nationals think they are?
It is one thing for corporations wanting to exploit resources that have no
impact in their own back yard, but for the state government to disregard not only the social mandate of the
Broome community, but also State and Commonwealth laws, treaties and agreements and are activity aiding and abetting the wilful destruction of
our national heritage.
This is appalling.
It begs the
question again- just who is checking the checker? When you have a state
government as the proponent, a stubborn egotistical and blinkered Premier who’s
‘streamlining’ processes is actually a blatant abuse of process, and Heads of
Departments like Dr Vogel whose workplace renewal contract is reliant on and
sanctioned by the Premier, one wonders whether conflict of interest enters the
equation.
The Broome
community lobbied the EPA board to come and talk to all interested and
concerned community parties including the Goolarabooloo who welcomed them onto
country and shared extensive cultural knowledge. Unfortunately, the community
was under the misguided notion that the EPA was independent of governmental
control, and would provide checks and balances to governmental excess.
That the
guidelines enshrined in law for the protection of environmental and cultural
heritage would actually provide recourse. Instead the EPA abused the
hospitality provided and this deception only added to the collective no gas psyche
of the Broome community…the faith that was put into this authoritive body and
other governmental departments should stand as a warning for other communities
who are battling corporations and the acquiescence of governments.
Photo Damian Kelly
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