At a media conference today at Queensland Parliament House, the Wangan and Jagalingou people, traditional owners of Queensland’s Galilee Basin, announced that they have refused Indian conglomerate Adani and the QLD Government a Land Use Agreement for the huge Carmichael coal mine.
Traditional owners’ spokesperson Adrian Burragubba presented a “Declaration of Defence of Country”, attached, to the Speaker of the QLD Parliament, Peter Wellington. The Declaration confirmed that the W&J people have never consented to the mine, and that they intend to defend their lands, their rights and interests. It called on other Australians and the world community to join them in their fight.
"The Carmichael coal mine is the biggest in Australian history. It would devastate the W&J’s ancestral lands and waters, their totemic plants and animals, and their connection to country," Mr Burragubba said.
Since the W&J rejected a land use agreement, the mine can now proceed only if the new QLD Labor government, on the basis of legal action taken by Adani against the W&J, acquires the W&J lands and issues a mining lease. The W&J today called on the new Queensland Labor government to:
rule out any compulsory acquisition, and
reject Adani’s application for a mining lease for Carmichael.
Mr Burragubba said the new Queensland Labor government has an opportunity to do the right thing.
"We call on Premier Palaszczuk and Minister for Mines Anthony Lynham to rule out compulsorily acquiring our land.
"They must reject Adani’s mining lease for Carmichael. If they approve Carmichael, they will be responsible for the death of our land, and our connection to it going back to time immemorial.”
W&J spokesperson Murrawah Johnson said it won’t be easy.
"The cards are stacked against us. So we’re now calling on others — including Traditional Owner groups around the country, the wider Australian community and environmentalists, who share our vision — to join us in our battle.”
More to come.
