Latest news with #MurujugaAboriginalCorporation
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Murray Watt ‘personally lobbied' Unesco over barring of WA rock art from world heritage list
Australia's environment minister, Murray Watt, has lobbied national Unesco ambassadors in a bid to overturn a recommendation that ancient rock art in Western Australia's north-west should not receive world heritage listing unless nearby industrial facilities shut down. Delegations from the Australian government and the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, a body established to represent five traditional Indigenous language groups, plan to attend a Unesco meeting in Paris next month to argue for an immediate world heritage listing for the Murujuga cultural landscape. The ramped up lobbying campaign follows the UN body last month finding facilities – including Woodside Energy's controversial North West Shelf gas processing plant – needed to be removed from the region if Australia wanted to win world heritage listing for more than a million petroglyphs, some nearly 50,000 years old. The Unesco recommendationfollowed advice from the International Council on Monuments and Sites that, while Murujuga met the main requirements for a world heritage listing, industrial pollution was making the 'integrity and the authenticity of key attributes…highly vulnerable'. Speaking to Guardian Australia, Watt repeated his claim that the Unesco report included 'factual inaccuracies' and said the authors did not have access to 'the latest evidence', including a rock art monitoring report compiled last year and released by the WA government in May. Watt claimed the recommendation had been 'clearly influenced by some campaign efforts' by environment organisations. '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 said. 'I think they're the kind of things that should come first.' Watt said he had 'personally lobbied a number of Unesco ambassadors who will be making this decision' at a UN Oceans Conference in France last week. 'Obviously, our government officials are doing that as well. I would say we got a good hearing on our points. I wouldn't say that people have decided. They're obviously going to have to think about it and consider the evidence, but we'll be lobbying hard in favour of the listing,' he said. The Unesco report was released just hours before Watt announced he planned to approve Woodside's application to extend the life of the North West Shelf development – one of the world's biggest liquified natural gas projects – from 2030 to 2070. It followed the proposal receiving approval from the WA government in December. The decisions have been criticised by environment organisations, academic researchers and the traditional custodians body Save Our Songlines on two grounds: the potential impact of local air pollution on the culturally important rock art and the billions of tonnes of greenhouse emissions that could result from gas produced at the plant. The group Friends of Australian Rock Art has launched a bid in the WA supreme court to challenge the state government's approval decision. Watt was not required to consider greenhouse gas emissions as climate impact is not grounds to refuse or limit a development application under Australia's national environment law. The government says it deals with industrial emissions under its safeguard mechanism policy. On rock art, the minister said his proposed approval included 'strict conditions' relating to local air emissions that could affect Murujuga rock art. The conditions have not been made public and Woodside was given 10 days to respond to them. That time has since been extended. Prof Benjamin Smith, an archaeologist and rock art expert at the University of Western Australia, criticised the decision and the WA government's rock art monitoring report. He said a government summary of the report incorrectly claimed most existing damage to petroglyphs from industrial pollution occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and that key pollutant levels had declined since 2014. He claimed scientists who worked on the report were being gagged so they couldn't raise their concerns about how their data was being interpreted. Watt said the conditional approval decision had 'not been blind to potential impacts on the rock art. In fact, that was the entire basis of the decision'. Watt said if Murujuga received world heritage listing it would 'add another layer of protection to ensure that it is cared for into the future'. He argued there had been a 'concerted campaign' by some environment groups to discredit the rock art monitoring report, but one of its authors, Prof Ben Mullins, had told the ABC that he agreed with the public interpretation of its findings. 'I think, unfortunately, this issue has become politicised, and what's really important is that we all take a step back and listen to the views of the traditional owners,' Watt said. 'Yes, there are some individuals who are not supporting the listing. But the representative body for the traditional owner groups is not just supporting their application, they're leading it.' The chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Peter Hicks, said 'misinformation, misrepresentation and statements that are simply untrue' over the state of rock art protection had led to 'grief and sadness in our communities'. 'We co-exist with industry and support the science,' he said. 'As the traditional owners, we have every confidence that the Murujuga rock art will continue to endure for thousands of years.' The Unesco recommendation is due to go before the 21-country world heritage committee on 6 July.
West Australian
05-06-2025
- General
- West Australian
'Angry and devastated': Traditional custodians condemn North West Shelf expansion
Traditional custodians have expressed dismay over Environment Minister Murray Watt greenlighting Woodside Energy's extension of the North West Shelf gas project to 2070. Members of advocacy group Save Our Songlines gathered at Hearson Cove, near Ngajarli in Murujuga National Park, on Thursday May 29, home to some of the world's oldest known petroglyphs – dating back more than 40,000 years. 'We are here at this beautiful place along the Burrup, home to two-million petroglyphs and magnificent stories of creation that has been entrusted in my people for over many generations,' Kuruma Marthudunera woman Josie Alec said. 'The reason why we stand here is because we want to protect and preserve this incredible rock art. As Aboriginal people, we are obligated to protect this country and everything that it means to us.' Mardudhunera custodian Mark Clifton described the decision as 'devastating', and voiced support for his mother, Raelene Cooper, who has launched a legal bid in an attempt to halt the project. 'It's heart-breaking really, for the countrymen and for the people that live around here. With so much culture, it's unbelievable that they're letting this pass,' he said. Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation also released a statement on May 29 in relation to the UN looking to set back Australia's bid to add Murujuga rock art to the World Heritage List due to industrial pollution. 'It is clear from the ICOMOS report that the Murujuga Cultural Landscape should be on the World Heritage List and we are very proud of our nomination,' Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation chairperson Peter Hicks said. 'The evaluation report provides the pathway to finalising World Heritage Listing and while the referral adds another small step to our journey, it is a positive outcome and not a rejection. 'While it is disappointing, we are determined to finish our journey and see the Murujuga Cultural Landscape included on the World Heritage List as soon as possible.' Woodside welcomed the decision by the Federal Government and confirmed it had received the proposed conditions relating to cultural heritage and emissions management for the North West Shelf. The company said it was working through to 'understand their application'. 'This nationally significant infrastructure has supplied reliable and affordable energy to Western Australia for 40 years and will be able to continue its contribution to energy security,' Woodside executive Vice President Liz Westcott said. Mr Watt confirmed that the project approval includes proposed conditions focused on emissions and cultural heritage protection. While specific details have not been made public, Woodside now has 9 days to accept or respond to the conditions.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-05-2025
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rock art expert breaks silence over Burrup emissions study controversy
A leading statistician on an emissions study into an ancient West Australian rock art site has spoken supporting an 800-page report, days after blasting WA bureaucrats for 'unacceptable interference' by altering a graph in a separate summary of that report. The report on monitoring of industrial emissions near the site on the Burrup Peninsula in the state's north-west was released last Friday, and lauded by industry and the Cook government as proof that modern industrial emissions were not currently impacting the ancient petroglyph images carved into the site's striking rock landforms. That conclusion was rubbished by world-renowned rock art expert Ben Smith, who said the 800-page report showed the opposite. The Murujuga rock art monitoring program is a $27 million joint effort between Curtin University scientists, Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. Its release came days before Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt approved a 40-year extension to the life of Woodside's North West Shelf assets – among which are a gas plant releasing some of the emissions being monitored. The report was published alongside an eight-page summary featuring graphs showing benchmark levels for acceptable pollution on the Burrup. The ABC reported Curtin University Emeritus Professor Adrian Baddeley, who was the report's chief statistician, complained in an email to DWER on Tuesday that one of those graphs had been altered on the summary. The alteration removed a line showed in the main report, showing an early warning threshold of pollution on the Burrup. Baddeley, who told a pro-Palestine rally at Curtin last May universities had become 'more corporate, much more authoritarian, much more coercive' wrote to the government department:
The Age
30-05-2025
- Science
- The Age
Rock art expert breaks silence over Burrup emissions study controversy
A leading statistician on an emissions study into an ancient West Australian rock art site has spoken supporting an 800-page report, days after blasting WA bureaucrats for 'unacceptable interference' by altering a graph in a separate summary of that report. The report on monitoring of industrial emissions near the site on the Burrup Peninsula in the state's north-west was released last Friday, and lauded by industry and the Cook government as proof that modern industrial emissions were not currently impacting the ancient petroglyph images carved into the site's striking rock landforms. That conclusion was rubbished by world-renowned rock art expert Ben Smith, who said the 800-page report showed the opposite. The Murujuga rock art monitoring program is a $27 million joint effort between Curtin University scientists, Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. Its release came days before Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt approved a 40-year extension to the life of Woodside's North West Shelf assets – among which are a gas plant releasing some of the emissions being monitored. The report was published alongside an eight-page summary featuring graphs showing benchmark levels for acceptable pollution on the Burrup. The ABC reported Curtin University Emeritus Professor Adrian Baddeley, who was the report's chief statistician, complained in an email to DWER on Tuesday that one of those graphs had been altered on the summary. The alteration removed a line showed in the main report, showing an early warning threshold of pollution on the Burrup. Baddeley, who told a pro-Palestine rally at Curtin last May universities had become 'more corporate, much more authoritarian, much more coercive' wrote to the government department:
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Approval of Woodside LNG project gambles with ancient heritage for short-term gain
We don't know all the evidence that the new environment minister, Murray Watt, had before him when he decided to approve a 40-year life extension to one of Australia's biggest fossil fuel developments so that it could run until 2070. But we do know this. The decision largely turned on whether the North West Shelf liquefied natural gas (LNG) development on the Pilbara's Burrup Hub can coexist for decades into the future with an incredible collection of ancient Murujuga rock art, some of it nearly 50,000 years old and unlike anything else on the planet. And there is enough evidence in the public domain for people to have, at best, serious doubts. A summary of a rock art monitoring report compiled last year – but only released by the unwaveringly pro-gas Western Australian Labor government last Friday afternoon – acknowledged that emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide had damaged the rock types on which the art is etched. Get Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton's Clear Air column as an email But it said this was OK. It concluded that this problem peaked in the 1970s – a time when there was far less industrial activity in the region than today. There was no LNG export industry, and therefore not one of the world's largest LNG processing facilities. But there was a relatively small gas power plant. The WA government summary – backed by the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation – suggested this was likely the major cause of the problem, and that pollutant levels have declined over the past decade. The scientific report behind the summary was 800 pages long and it took some time for people to digest it. Once they had, concerns were raised. Benjamin Smith, an archaeology professor at the University of Western Australia, said data in the report suggested local acidic pollution was actually four times higher now than when Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser were running the country. He claimed scientists who worked on the report were being gagged so they couldn't raise their concerns about how their data was being interpreted. Not long after, the ABC released details of an email complaint from Adrian Baddeley, the chief statistician who worked on the rock art monitoring, accusing WA government officials of removing some information from a graph in the summary, and adding a claim that current pollution levels are 'lower than the interim guideline levels'. Baddeley said the five monitoring sites closest to industrial development were experiencing pollution levels above a guideline level, and claimed there was 'unacceptable interference in the scientific integrity of the project'. The WA premier, Roger Cook, told the ABC's Radio National that some scientists were engaging in a 'political frolic'. 'We have to strip away the background noise and rely upon the reports to make good decisions on behalf of the people of Western Australia,' he said. This came to light on Wednesday, shortly before Watt announced his decision. Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion Watt could have taken time to absorb this. There was nothing forcing him to rush into an announcement. Even Cook – an assertive backer of Woodside's plans – had said just hours earlier that the minister should move quickly but not make a 'hurried decision'. Watt chose to move just as a significant cloud enshrouded a key piece of evidence. People will draw their own conclusions about whether it is a coincidence that the announcement came at a busy news time, when focus was on the reunited Coalition and shortly before the rugby league State of Origin series consumed the attention of millions of people in Queensland and New South Wales. But let's put it this way: if you wanted to avoid accusations of politically motivated cynicism, you wouldn't have dropped it on Wednesday afternoon. Two things seem clear. The first is that the precautionary principle – long meant to be a guiding light in environmental decisions – is hard to see here. Whatever the weight of evidence about what amount of pollution is sustainable, and for what period, we know emissions have degraded the rock. We are gambling with a place of extraordinary cultural heritage for the sake of short-term interests. A draft decision by Unesco, revealed on Wednesday, that industrial activity makes a world-heritage listing for the Murujuga cultural landscape unlikely only underlines that point. The second is that it will almost certainly face legal challenges. Raelene Cooper, a Mardathoonera woman and former chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, flagged this in a blunt media statement that told the government she would see them in court. These issues would be enough to raise concerns about the decision – but there is also the not insignificant issue of the huge greenhouse gas emissions that will result. For several years, the North West Shelf was the biggest polluting site within Australia, and it still sits in the leading pack of emitters. Much, much more pollution is released once the LNG is shipped and burned overseas. It is often tagged as a 'carbon bomb'. Some see this as an easy pejorative term used by activists. Maybe. But it is hard to dispute based on the numbers. There are complicated and contested arguments about whether stopping production at the North West Shelf would reduce global emissions – and whether that should be the point. But no one committed to meeting the goals of the Paris climate agreement, and limiting surging global heating, can seriously argue it should be operating until 2070, as Watt has approved. It makes no sense that the environment minister does not have to consider this atmospheric carbon footprint before approving a major fossil fuel development such as the North West Shelf under national environment law. Emissions hurt the environment. People know this. The law should reflect that reality.
