Threats to Aboriginal land

You'll be surprised how many threats endanger Aboriginal land. Indigenous people have to fight on many fronts to keep alive their heritage, history and sacred sites.

Under current NSW legislation, Aboriginal people [are] not recognised as the owners and primary determiners of their heritage.—Bev Manton, Chairperson New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council in 2010 [8]

Threat: Climate change

Climate change affects Aboriginal land already. Torres Strait Islanders are noticing visible changes to their land, including erosion, rough seas and higher storm frequency, according to former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma [1]. Other risks include king tides, and ocean acidification and its effects on coral reefs and fish.

Extreme weather conditions have the potential to reduce water availability and erode infrastructure like sewerage systems and housing on the islands.

Many villages are only about 2 metres above sea level. At least 6 islands urgently require the construction of sea walls and coastal erosion control measures [30]: Poruma (Coconut) Island, Warraber (Sue) Island, Iama (Yam) Island, Masig (Yorke) Island, Boigu and Saibai. Most of these islands have their own airstrips.

Map: On Iama (Yam) Island, Torres Strait, residents' homes are already frequently inundated with sea water [37]. The island could be lost to the sea if no conservation measures are taken.

The 2008 Garnaut Report identified the Torres Strait as especially vulnerable. Over the next century the sea-level is expected to rise by up to 59 centimetres [36].

"There is a real possibility that some communities will need to move to higher ground or relocate altogether to the mainland," Calma said. Shaun Edwards from far North Queensland agrees, predicting that "Torres Strait Islanders will end up coming to the mainland" [11], an option not considered by others such as Climate Change Minister Penny Wong [15].

Fred Gela, Mayor of the Torres Strait Island Regional Council, says that "the land and sea in the Torres Strait is a critical part of our spiritual and physical identity." [30] Inaction would put at risk the survival of their way of life which is unique in Australia.

But Aboriginal people are well-placed "to help mitigate the impacts of climate change because of where they live and their unique knowledge of the land," says Joe Ross, Chair of the Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce [2].

We already have water rising in Kowanyama… At high tide water runs right through some islands. —Shaun Edwards, Cape York Aboriginal leader [11]

Threat: Tourism

Tourism can often peacefully coexist with Aboriginal land, but sometimes is a threat to Indigenous interests. Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) is one such example.

For Aboriginal people Uluru is a sacred site and should be off-limits for non-Indigenous visitors. Demands to close the only climb in respect to the rock's significance have been made many times.

But Uluru is an icon of international value for Australia's tourism industry. When yet another call for its closure was made in early 2010 the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson and Environment Minister Peter Garett were compelled to call for Uluru to be kept open because "the future for this internationally significant icon lies in visitor experiences that reflect its World Heritage values" [3].

Unfortunately some of Uluru's annual 100,000 visitors don't care much about its sacredness or the signs that discourage a climb and defecate on it [3]. Many more party or urinate up there. Visitors from all over the world take home parts of the rock, and many feel haunted for months after, subsequently sending back their stones to Australia.

[Prime Minister] Kevin Rudd won't be around forever. One day he'll be gone and Aboriginal people won't. They'll still be there watching people leave tracks over their sacred site. —David Ross, director Central Land Council (representing Indigenous groups) [3]

What most people are unaware of is the fact that the heart centre of Australia – Uluru – has a calling of healing energy to the spirit to come, and experience 'The Rock'. This draws many, if not millions, from all over the world to touch, connect to and experience these vibrations of one of the most sacred heart centres of the earth. —Pascoe Braun, son of one of the custodians of Uluru [9]

Four-wheel drives

Recreational and off-road vehicles used by tourists and locals can damage Aboriginal sites in conservation areas and national parks.

For example, the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area in Tasmania, described as "one of the world's greatest archaeological regions" [33] for its Aboriginal heritage, has been subjected to damage for many years.

Most if not all tracks in the area go over Aboriginal heritage sites. Attempts to close tracks to prevent damage failed because "people have pulled [barriers] out and gone around them" [33]. A strong vehicle lobby vetoes attempts to implement barriers.

Threat: Development

Developers' projects such as infrastructure, businesses and dwellings often threaten to damage or destroy sacred sites, rock art or places of great important to the local Aboriginal people.

For example, in late 2009 the 'Guardian Tree' at Bulahdelah in New South Wales, "the most sacred site of the Worimi nation", was cut by workers with chainsaws, backed by police who kept the protesters away [5]. The tree made way for a highway bypass.

At the same time Aboriginal people in Tasmania were fighting the Brighton Bypass which was bulldozed through land rich of significant sites with an estimated 3 million artefacts and "one of the most important archaeological sites in Tasmania" according to head archaeologist Rob Paton [10]. It was confirmed to date back 40,000 years, making it the oldest site in the southern hemisphere with evidence of human habitation [12]. The government decided to build a bridge over the area despite two years of meetings, lobbying, court challengens to heritage legislation, an emergency national heritage listing, dozens of arrests and protests which even gained support of many of the workers employed to build the bridge [25].

Two days before Christmas 2011 the site, also referred to as Kutalayna (Jordan River Levee), was placed on Australia's National Heritage List [38], which puts it on the same level as Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef.

A Matter of Consequence
From time to time I sit and stare,
observe this land that is now bare.

Most proceed without thought or care
for this spiritual sanctuary we're meant to share.

More land is cleared new buildings raised,
toxic waste dump proposals ensure an early grave.

Silently the ghosts of millennia past
refuse to submit to modernity's farce.

They rise through the soil then into the air,
seeking revenge for two centuries of despair.

To politicians and others who've never been fair,
I strongly suggest, beware, beware...

The wrath of those spirits who live in the earth,
those ancient guardians who lived here first [27].

In June 2010 Gomilaroi Elder Lyall Munro was fighting the sale in Moree, NSW, of a site known to have been an Aboriginal burial ground. The NSW government had approved the sale to retailing giant Woolworths. Munro believes the remains of 39 people could still be in the site [16].

When disputes between Aboriginal stakeholders involved in negotiations for a proposed multi-million-dollar gas hub near Broome, in Western Australia, took too long the Western Australian premier simply announced to compulsorily acquire the land. But instead of the 3,500 hectares under negotiation the government wanted to acquire 20,000 hectares for "some flexibility to identify final locations" [22].

Bev Manton, Chairperson of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, observes that "some 900 sites have been destroyed in recent years… with recent figures showing up to five permits [to destroy cultural heritage] being issued a week" [8]. New South Wales remains the only state without independent culture and heritage legislation.

The situation in Tasmania is similar. "We have found that since [Tasmanian] Minister [for Environment, Parks, Heritage and the Arts] Michelle O'Byrne took over responsibility for Aboriginal heritage, more than 30 destruction permits were issued under her name without any involvelment of Aboriginal people," says Michael Mansell, Director of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Centre [10].

The need to preserve ancient buildings has never been more embedded in Tasmanian culture than it is today, yet there is the strange contradiction in attitudes towards preserving Aboriginal heritage. —Michael Mansell, Aboriginal campaigner [6]

I find it astounding the [Tasmanian] government would push to build a four-lane freeway through the world's oldest known site of human inhabitation in the southern hemisphere, all in the name of saving a whopping eight minutes driving time. —Bev Manton, Chairwoman, New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council [21]

Threat: Resources industry

Mining interests collide with Aboriginal land interests ever since Australia's rich resources were discovered. Many political decisions were not driven by the best interests for Aboriginal people but by revenue generated by Australia's resource industry.

Wind change

The wind blew in a different direction,
The Keeper of Culture's Connection to country
blown away by a legal overlay.
Whose song is singing, whose law is reigning?
Walmadan, the Maban man must be wailing
in his grave, his waterhole will turn pindan
Blood red, when 'Mother Earth' is slain
by the industrial machines' smashing, crushing
clutches, and the sand dunes, the dark rocks jutting
by the shore, the blue waves that roll in the sea,
the frolicking and birthing marine dwellers
- humpback whales, turtles and dugongs
will sing no more... the locals will fish here
no more, and their incredibly beautiful
ancient culture will be traded
for a moment's illusory dream of 'progress'.

Poem by Deborah Wall [29]. Read more Aboriginal poetry.

Jillian Marsh is a member of the Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) Committee and a custodian of the Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

She says that "extensive case study research and the concerns raised by Aboriginal people at the grass-roots level shows that mining agreements have not improved life for Aboriginal people, and uranium mines mean more problems."

My sisters told me our father died of a heartbreak of the land, because of the mines. —Kathy Balngayngu Marika, Aboriginal elder and dancer [35]

"It is cynical for the uranium industry to act as if it can deliver for Aboriginal people. The main lasting effect of uranium mining for Aboriginal people is radioactive waste on their country, and no resources to clean up the mess left by miners" [7].

Communities surrounding nuclear mines and bombs sites have noticed cancer clusters, increased health problems such as diabetes, kidney failure and ill health [32].

When it took too long for an agreement to be reached between Western Australia, developer Woodside and the Kimberley Land Council, Western Australia's premier simply announced that his government would compulsorily acquire the land where a $30 billion liquefied natural gas site had been proposed [18].

This decision is significant because acquisition powers are usually reserved for acquiring interests in land for a public purpose.

Traditional owners were "furious, absolutely mad angry" about the decision which for them confirmed "that every time you move forward and put your hand on someone's shoulder for a bit of support, they turn around and bite it" [19].

They are planning to drill a tunnel right through [spiritual creator] Virdnimuru's head. —Dr Jillian Marsh, about a proposed expansion of the Beverley uranium mine in South Australia [24]

Environmental impact rules may still allow for the destruction of sites of cultural significance to Aboriginal people, concludes Dr Jillian Marsh in a research study into negotiations between a mining company and representatives of an Aboriginal community [24].

According to Dr Marsh, some negotiations between miners and Aboriginal communities are "tokenistic" and carried out in an atmosphere of fear, suspicion, bullying and compulsion. Sometimes community members are forcibly removed from public meetings.

"My research suggests that Aboriginal communities are not opposed to mining or development – but they are opposed to the destruction of their culture, their land, their sites, and to the bullying that goes on around mineral exploration and mining," Dr Marsh said [24].

The Ranger uranium mine in the Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, leaked about 100,000 litres of contaminated water a day for 30 years from its tailings dam—but an 18-month review completed in 2010 failed to find where the water had gone [26]. Heavy rains during the wet season can be dangerous when dams are at capacity. The Ranger mine has had more than 150 leaks, spills and mishaps since it opened despite opposition from Kakadu's traditional owners in 1981 [26]. Mining companies are unlikely to abandon their leases with some estimated to contain uranium worth more than $18 billion [26].

Aboriginal people feel disempowered by the complex processes, legal talk and are often forced to accept. Along with the economic loss of access to their land and traditional food sources goes the spiritual loss of their connection to country.

Cultural sites are protected in Queensland, there's a $750,000 fine for destroying them knowingly. I know of cases where companies were happy to pay the fine and continue with their mining efforts. —Michael Strong, archaeology consultant [23]

The following video was recorded during a supposed 'native title' meeting between representatives of mining company Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and members of the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal people about the company's Solomon Hub project.

The video is an example of the above mentioned bullying of traditional owners into a land use 'agreement'.

Watch part two of the video.

Further reading: Read how mining activities threaten the oldest gallery of Aboriginal rock engravings on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia.

Threat: Litter

Litter is becoming an increasing problem not only for Aboriginal land. An average of 75 items of litter can now be found on any square 1,000 metres in New South Wales [20].

Cigarettes make up the majority (46 per cent), followed by paper (16%) and plastic items (6%). Car parks are among the worst places for litter.

Threat: Weeds

Introduced weeds that spread over Australia are another threat to Aboriginal land. Once weeds take over the native flora is pushed back and eventually vanishes. This impacts the traditional ways Aboriginal people live and damages their culture.

The Noxious Weeds List listed 478 weeds in June 2010 [14].

If these weeds come to our country we are afraid we will lose our way of life, culture and health of our people. —Yirrkala rangers, Northern Territory [13]

Out of respect for Aboriginal culture I use Indigenous sources as much as possible.
[1] 'Climate change a threat to Indigenous people: Calma', NIT 14/5/2009 p.6 [2] 'Firefighters save station', Koori Mail 445 p.7 [3] 'Uluru climbs to continue: Garett', SMH 9/1/2010 [4] 'Uluru climb to remain', Koori Mail 465 p.4 [5] ''Most sacred tree' felled for highway', Koori Mail 467 p.13 [6] 'Tas stand-off over - for now', Koori Mail 468 p.8 [7] 'Mundine joins the uranium 'dialogue'', Koori Mail 445 p.8 [8] 'National heritage standard is urged', Koori Mail 467 p.14 [9] 'Hands off Uluru', Koori Mail 468 p.23 [10] 'Tas work restarted', Koori Mail 469 p.13 [11] 'An agent of change', Koori Mail 471 p.21 [12] 'Tasmanians stand firm on planned roadworks', Koori Mail 475 p.12 [13] 'Rangers target weeds', Koori Mail 475 p.29 [14] www.weeds.org.au, visited 27/06/2010 [15] 'Report outlines flooding threats', Koori Mail 476 p.34 [16] 'Approval sparks Moree tensions', Koori Mail 478 p.11 [17] 'Xstrata cops fine', Koori Mail 480 p/11 [18] 'Gas threat', Koori Mail 484 p.1 [19] 'Angry response to WA gas threat', Koori Mail 484 p.5 [20] 'Forced to swim between the fags', Sun Herald 3/10/2010 [21] 'Bypass battle line', Koori Mail 487 p.8 [22] 'TSI centres hit by king tides', Koori Mail 497 p.16 [23] 'Fears over sacred site', Koori Mail 498 p.29 [24] 'Cultural heritage ignored, says PhD researcher', Koori Mail 498 p.35 [25] 'The battle starts', Koori Mail 499 p.7 [26] 'Radioactive threat looms in Kakadu', SMH 16/4/2011 [27] 'A Matter of Consequence', Koori Mail 416 p.25 [28] 'Nuclear activist wins ACF award', Koori Mail 403 p.11 [29] 'Wind change', Koori Mail 505 p.23 [30] 'Torres Strait warning of grave threat', Koori Mail 506 p.9 [31] 'Owners split on mining decision', Koori Mail 508 p.40 [32] 'Gathering to call for uranium inquiry', Koori Mail 509 p.45 [33] 'Tas report concern', Koori Mail 512 p.18 [34] 'Priorities listed in economic strategy', Koori Mail 513 p.5 [35] 'Strong in her culture', Koori Mail 513 p.21 [36] 'Climate change castaways consider move to Australia', SMH 7/1/2012 p.5 [37] 'Left high and dry', Koori Mail 516 p.15 [38] 'Site listing 'welcome, but too late'', Koori Mail 517 p.11