Aboriginal leader accuses activists of destroying heritage listing of ancient rock art with their 'inaccurate' claims about impact of gas project
The boss of an Aboriginal group responsible for land that contains ancient rock art has hit out at indigenous and environmental activists, saying they have ruined a bid for world heritage listing of the site by claiming it was being damaged by a major gas project.
Peter Hicks, chairman of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, will soon fly to Paris to argue again for the world heritage listing of part of the Pilbara region in northern Western Australia, based chiefly on rock art dating back tens of thousands of years.
However he said opponents of the North West Shelf gas project had caused major problems for the listing application, with their campaign prompting cultural heritage body UNESCO to issue an interim decision recommending the area not be listed.
Mr Hicks told Daily Mail Australia he was 'concerned that some campaigns have complicated the... nomination by redirecting focus away from the cultural significance of the Murujuga landscape itself'.
He added the nomination should 'stand on the strength of the site's outstanding universal value, independent of any political or industrial agendas'.
Environmental Minister Murray Watt, who recently gave conditional approval for mining company Woodside to continue its activities at North West Shelf until 2070, agreed that the activists had torpedoed the heritage listing.
'[UNESCO's] concerns were about whether it was adequately protected for the future, and our view is that they overly relied on the campaign against the North West Shelf project,' he told the Australian Financial Review.
'Clearly some campaign organisations have decided to use the North West Shelf project to advance their anti-gas position.'
Mr Watt travelled to Paris for the UN Oceans Conference last week where he lobbied UNESCO ambassadors to support the listing of the historically significant site.
His approval to extend the North West Shelf gas project, one of the world's biggest liquefied natural gas projects, came hours after the UNESCO decision to oppose the listing application.
He told Guardian Australia the report featured 'factual inaccuracies' and had been 'clearly influenced' by the campaigning efforts of environmental groups.
'Our view was that the decision was overly influenced by that kind of political activity rather than the scientific evidence, and rather than the wishes of the traditional owners,' he told the outlet.
'They're the kind of things that should come first.'
The federal government was due to make a decision on the future of the gas project before the election but it was delayed by Mr Watt's predecessor Tanya Plibersek.
Critics accused the Albanese government of intentionally delaying the decision for political reasons.
Environmental campaigners and allied Aboriginal groups opposed the extension of the gas project, saying it would undermine Australia's goal of net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and would endanger the rock art.
Environmental Minister Murray Watt said UNESCO's report which referred a world heritage listing application back to the government was 'clearly influenced' by environmental groups
Woodside is currently considering the strict environmental and cultural conditions imposed by Mr Watt in granting the extension, and has yet to act on the approval.
The North West Shelf gas project extracts gas from massive basins off the Pilbara coast which is then processed at the Karratha Plant on the Burrup Peninsula.
More than two-thirds of the 33 trillion cubic feet of gas in the basins remains untouched and, last financial year, produced gas worth about $70billion.
The Albanese government's decision to extend the project followed an earlier environmental approval granted by the WA government in December last year.
Both approvals face legal challenges at the state and federal level, with the federal bid led by former Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Raelene Cooper.
But Mr Hicks, a representative of the local Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo people, has argued industry can coexist with the preservation of the site's cultural significance.
He plans to plead his case at a meeting of international delegates at the UNESCO World Heritage meeting in July.
'Mr Hicks intends to highlight to the World Heritage Committee that the Murujuga Cultural Landscape has been managed by traditional owners and custodians with deep cultural care for over 50,000 years,' his office said.
'He will emphasise that the community's connection to Country, its co-existence with industry, and the scientific findings that suggest appropriate regulation and management of emissions will protect the rock art, all support the case for listing.
'His core message is that world heritage status is vital for protecting Murujuga for future generations—on its cultural merits, not as a proxy in broader political debates.'
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