Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation update
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Hi, folks,
The purpose of this update is
1) to provide more information on the outcomes of the World Heritage meeting.
2) notification of two events organized by endorsed Jabiluka Acton Groups
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1) MORE INFO ABOUT THE WORLD HERITAGE DECISION
The material below comes partly from phone conversations with GAC
participants in Paris. It comes in the context of the inevitable
disappointment over the adverse decision in Paris. Where such
disappointment comes up there is frequently a temptation to look for
scapegoats, to try to lay blame. After all, if Hill had lost, heads would
have rolled; and tody is the day that Phil Shervinton is shuffled to North
Ltd, and Ken Lonie (ex-boss at Ranger) clears his desk. Such looking for
places to lay blame is not productive, and this update is partly a request
that we show the maturity to avoid such scalp-hunting.
*****
There is no doubt that the decision not to place Kakadu on the World
Heritage in Danger list is a terrible decision from several points of view
- not least from the point of view of the World Heritage Committee's own
reputation.
It's perfectly clear that, Robert Hill's blandishments to the contrary, the
decision was made on the basis of politics, not facts. As TWS, ACF and FoE
have made clear in their press releases, the expert advisory bodies to the
World Heritage Committee (IUCN, ICOMOS, ICCROM) unanimously supported
in-danger listing both in December and on Monday. We understand that the
Committee has never before ignored the unanimous advice of the expert
advisory bodies.
The structure of voting for an in-danger listing is that a vote for
in-danger listing requires a two-thirds majority of the 21 State parties on
the Committee at any given time. The Australian government simply has far
more resources - YOUR resources, if you live in Australia - at its command
than small groups such as GAC, TWS, ACF or FoE. These small groups had to
convince - not buy - a two-thirds majority. The government had only to buy
- or convince if it could, despite all the advice from advisory bodies -
about six countries. History is not short, unfortunately, of examples
where, given a choice between a principle and a profit, governments will
choose a profit. The Australian government has done this in backing ERA to
the hilt. It seems other countries will make similar choices where their
hip-pockets are concerned.
But it is important that those of us opposed to the Jabiluka uranium mine,
whether because we support the Mirrar struggle or because we put
anti-uranium concerns first, not become too despondent over the decision.
As has been said in these updates on a number of occasions, in-danger
listing was never going to stop the mine. It was only ever going to be a
tool, a lever, one among many.
The question is, a lever for what; and what remains of this lever.
It is NOT the case that the World Heritage Committee has said the Park is
not in danger. It said nothing of the kind. The Committee said quite
clearly that it was extremely concerned, and it required the government to
accede to a number of commitments:
* Complete cultural mapping and preparation of a cultural heritage
management plan with a monitoring regime from ICOMOS and ICCROM. In the
past the government has refused to enforce the requirement that ERA produce
such a plan before starting construction. In that context, Mirrar have
refused to participate while work is going on, and ERA have refused to stop
work in order to develop such a plan. Now, these World heritage advisory
bodies will be involved, with less chance that the government and ERA will
be able to manipulate the process.
* An agreement in writing from Hill for no mining at Jabiluka for 18
months. ERA had already said in the media that they would be stopping for
about a year. But that period was no doubt flexible according to their
priorities - and one of their priorities is to get the profits flowing as
soon as possible. There is no doubt that ERA is extremely displeased about
this development and will try to wriggle out of it. Having it in writing
imposes the requirement upon the government to enforce it - and of course
that imposes a need on the rest of us to force the government to enforce it.
* A written agreement regarding sequential mining. This was one of the
original requirements from the Fox Reports - that two uranium mines not be
operating at the same time in Kakadu National Park. This displeases ERA
even more, since it severely restricts their ability to produce jabiluka
uranium in anything like the quantities they will need to bring their
profit levels up to the level they need. When this was first announced,
Shervington said on the ABC that it was not going to happen. Now, by some
alchemy, it is. ERA needs the two to be open and in full production at the
same time in 2001. As it stands, ERA wants to able to take 1000 tonnes of
unprocessed Jabiluka ore per year between 2001 and 2006, and the aim of
this seems to be to get around ALP policy on "no new mines". They still,
however, have no mill, since in 1997 the Mirrar vetoed the use of the
Ranger mill for Jabiluka uranium; this veto has not changed.
* A written agreement from Hill for "progress in the implementation, in
response to the Kakadu Region Social Impact Study (KRSIS), of a
comprehensive package of social and welfare benefits, together with the
Northern Territory government, for the benefit of the Aboriginal
communities of Kakadu (including the Mirrar)" (Draft Decision point 3b).
Why is this important? Because basic services in the area - water, power,
sewerage - which other citizens get paid for out of tax and rates revenue,
are paid for out of mining royalties for Aboriginal people in the Kakadu
region. That is, the supply of these facilities is dependent on the mining
continuing, whether at Ranger or at Jabiluka. Break the connection between
basic facilities and the mining and you take a weapon out of the hand of
ERA, a weapon that they very much want to use to put pressure on Mirrar to
change their position on ERA using the Ranger processing mill to process
Jabiluka ore.
Hill is required to submit a report to the Committee by 15 April 2000.
There are other conceivable benefits. For example; as you'll remember, at
the time when ERA was about to begin tunneling into the Boyweg-Almudj
Sacred Site Complex (mid May) GAC put in an application to Robert Hill to
have the work stopped under section 9 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Heritage Protection Act. Hill refused to invoke Section 9, but
was obliged to set up an Inquiry into the status of the Sacred Site Complex
under Section 10 of the Act. It will be much harder for him to ignore the
results of such an Inquiry with the eyes of the World Heritage Committee
upon him.
And with all of this, remember that all the concessions have come from the
government. NONE have come from the Mirrar.
This is certainly not to say that this is a better outcome than in-danger
listing. But at least some of the ends that the in-danger lever would have
been used to press for have nevertheless been brought into focus simply
because Hill was AFRAID, despite his claims to the contrary, of an
in-danger listing. And when Hill cannot produce an adequate report in
April....
Some people might say "yes, but you can't trust the government to do all
this." Of course you can't. There's no doubt that the government will try
to make any changes cosmetic. That would also be true if there was an
in-danger listing.
But there is equally no doubt that our position opposing the mine is
stronger now than it was before the decision. Not as strong as it would be
if we had got an in-danger listing; but it would be crazy to deny those
actual benefits that HAVE emerged. Now the World Heritage Committee is
much more locked into a supervision regime than before. Whether they would
have been able to be as involved if an in-danger listing had been achieved
is harder to say.
It's possible that some conspiracy-theorists around the place will look at
these genuine opportunities and try to claim that the Mirrar have "sold
out" or "made a deal" with the government. They might make ridiculous
claims like that "the Mirrar have given up opposition to the Jabiluka mine
in return for sewerage". This is simply not true, on at least two counts:
1) Mirrar have consistently devoted meagre resources, via Gundjehmi
Aboriginal Corporation, to seeking in-danger listing. Yvonne Margarula
made an extremely impassioned speech for in-danger listing immediately
before the decision was made.
2) Sewerage, proper roads and proper health facilities are important. Why
shouldn't bininj have them? A physically weakened and dispirited bininj
population here in Kakadu is going to be far less able to oppose the mine.
The healthier and stronger bininj are, and the less financial dependence on
the mining company, the better able Mirrar - and all bininj - are to oppose
the mine. Bininj in Kakadu are now to have them in the same way all
citizens are; and that has been achieved because the Mirrar, along with the
environment movement, have opposed the mine so vigorously.
There have been references in the media to some kind of agreement between
"the government or ERA and the traditional owners over Jabiluka." This is
emphatically not the case. The traditional owners remain opposed to the
mine, and will continue to do everything possible to oppose it. They have
more reason to oppose the mine than anyone else, and fewer reasons to reach
any accomodation with either the government or the company over it.
This is not the time for suspicion of the intentions of the traditional
owners. We've just had a wonderful result in the Senate Inquiry. We've
just seen a highly successful Women's Week of Action against North Ltd.
We've had a mixed result, with an overall disappointment but also some good
bits in the World Heritage decision, and that process is not over. We have
the North campaign in full swing, with the EGM happening on the same day as
the AGM in late October. This is the fruit of months of work by the Kakadu
Working Group working out of TWS in Sydney. We have the Section 10 Inquiry
coming up. For those groups with something planned, there's the
Hiroshima/Nagasaki/World Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend in early August.
There's plenty to do.
This mine will not go ahead.
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2) EVENTS IN BRISBANE, PERTH
BRISBANE:
(excerpt from media release)
"The government may see this as a win for the Jabiluka uranium mine,
however there can be no victory for Kakadu National Park and the Mirrar
until the mine is stopped. We will continue to fight with the Traditional
Owners because we have no doubt that Jabiluka should not go ahead. It will
be proved in the next 18 months that the mine is not viable ecologically,
culturally or economically."
In response to the decision, the Jabiluka Action Group has organised a
Candlelight Vigil to acknowledge the struggle of the Mirrar to exercise
their rights of self determination:
WHAT: CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
* SPEAKERS INCLUDE ABORIGINAL
POET MAUREEN WATSON
* MUSICAL PERFORMANCES FROM
JEVAN COLE AND REBECCA WRIGHT
WHEN: FRIDAY 16 JULY
5.30 - 7.30 PM
WHERE: KING GEORGE SQUARE
Bring candles, warm clothes and blankets
Hot Drinks and Food available
For more information contact:
Rebecca Duffy on 3846 0246 or 3846 7609
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PERTH
SNAP JABILUKA ACTION
The Jabiluka Action Group of WA (JAGWA) July 14, 1999
The Decision by the World Heritage Committee to ignore its own expert
bodies and not list Kakadu National Park as World Heritage in Danger is a
victory for politics over common sense.
The Australian Government's heavy handed lobbying tactics have seriously
undermined the World Heritage Convention.
HoweverŠ
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has found that the Jabiluka uranium
mine poses a serious negative impact to the values of Kakadu National Park.
The "grave concerns" expressed by the Committee and accepted by the
Australian government have seen the project placed on hold for at least 18
months pending decisions on its cultural impact.
The Australian government is required to report to the World Heritage
Committee by April next year with an explanation of how Jabiluka can
proceed without damaging Mirrar cultural values. This is frankly impossible.
JOIN US FROM 10PM-2PM SATURDAY JULY 14
OUTSIDE THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY SHOP, QUEENSGATE CENTRE, FREMANTLE FOR A
JABILUKA 'FAXATHON'
You'll be able to make your feelings known directly to Senator Robert Hill,
North Ltd. & Energy Resources of Australia.
~ Contact ~ Scott Ludlam (08) 9337 7217
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Karl-Erik Paasonen
for Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation
Contact details:
Phone: Within Australia: (08) 8979 2200; international: +61 - 8 - 8979
2200; Fax: Within Australia: (08) 8979 2299; international:
+61 - 8 - 8979 2299
Postal address: PO Box 245 Jabiru,
Northern Territory
AUSTRALIA 0886.
We have this amazing web-site, which you'd be CRAZY not to have a look at:
http://www.mirrar.net
...........................................................................
"We will fight to protect our country and that is a fact of life"
Yvonne Margarula.
Ba-ngurdmeninj Djabulukku! Yun Ngurri-Djalgarung Boiwek Gun-Ngukbim!
"Stop Jabiluka! Don't the dig the life out of the Knob-Tailed Gecko Dreaming!"
...........................................................................
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