Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, has agreed to appoint an investigator to assess all impact on ancient rock art from industry on the Burrup Peninsula, in response to an application from two Indigenous women.
The women – representatives of a group called Save our Songlines – expressed concerns about damage to ancient rock art, prompting the Federal Government to launch the review.
Ms Plibersek last month rejected a request by the same group seeking to block construction of a AU$4.5 billion ($3.0 billion) fertiliser plant after consulting the local representative group for the traditional owners – the Murujuga Aboriginal Corp about its potential impact on ancient rock art.
A spokesperson for Ms Plibersek said in emailed comments, the appointed consultant will take as long as is needed to prepare the report with no statutory timeframe.
Following the conclusion of the review, the investigator must make a recommendation to Ms Plibersek on whether to order new protection of Indigenous heritage on the Burrup Peninsula, where there are more than a million ancient rock carvings which have been nominated for a UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Those sites lie near an industrial zone where there are two liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants run by Woodside Energy Group and fertiliser and explosives plants run by Norway’s Yara International.
Raelene Cooper – who applied for the review under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act – said the review is an “unprecedented opportunity to consider all the impacts of every industry on the Burrup on our sacred rock art sites and provide permanent protections in federal laws”.
“This is a dangerous and contradictory position from the government that makes no sense and reveals the hypocrisy at the heart of all consultation between traditional custodians and industry on the Burrup,” Ms Cooper said in a statement.
