Mining Country

The British have waged undeclared wars on First Nations peoples ever since 1788.

The murder and misery inflicted today reminds us of when settlers rode into communities on horse back and cut down extended families. In current times, the government does not only allow multi-national mining giants to rape the country and destroy ancient cultures, but they are trying to force First Nations people to live with the poisonous waste. [node:read-more:link]

"We draw the line today. We declare our right to our land. There is no surrender. There is no land use agreement. We are the people from that land. We’re the rightful Traditional Owners of Wangan and Jagalingou country, and we are in court to prove that others are usurping our rights”. said Adrian Burragubba. “Our people are the last line of legal defence against this mine and its corrosive impact on our rights, and the destruction of country that would occur. Senator Brandis has been disingenuous in prosecuting his argument for these changes to native title laws, while the hands of native title bureaucrats and the mining lobby are all over the outcome. [node:read-more:link]

Aboriginal heritage sites in WA are managed through different channels to non-Indigenous cultural sites, to their detriment. While non-Indigenous heritage is managed by a network of professionals across all levels of government, Aboriginal heritage is managed by a section in the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

An Aboriginal traditional owner from Broome has been moved on by police for blocking Buru Energy vehicles from accessing a gas fracking site. Last year 96 per cent of his people voted against the fracking program. John Howard recognised continuing First Nations sovereignty in his Ten Point Plan for limiting Native Title he introduced after the Wik decision, promising 'bucket loads of extinguishment' and that what we've got. Companies can destroy country and even though First Nations people are sovereign, they can't do anything about it, other than protesting. [node:read-more:link]

The first shipment of Australia's nuclear waste to be returned from re-processing in France has now left a French port, and will arrive on our shores by the end of the year. The return of the 25 tonnes of nuclear waste is putting renewed pressure on the Federal Government to find a location for a permanent waste dump. The shipment began its journey just a day after senior Aboriginal women gathered in Adelaide to mark their fight against a proposed dump in South Australia in the 1990s. The women say they will fight against any new move to put the waste on their land. [node:read-more:link]

Stephen Mayne Crikey 2 February 2015

The 2013-14 political donations data confirms a long trend in Australian politics, with the ALP still fundamentally reliant on the union movement and the Liberal Party in the thrall of big business, rent-seekers and a few wealthy families. [node:read-more:link]