Mining Country

Joseph Roe, First Nations Activist from Broome in Western Australia defied money, arrests, threats and compulsory acquisition of his people's land to maintain integrity of First Nations culture and the environment.

"The law and song cycles of Walmadan are not ancient dreamtime history." Joseph Rowe said "This law has been kept alive through my grandfather Paddy Roe and now through me

"Remove law boss Joe Roe ... from history, and the massive gas factory planned by Woodside Petroleum for north of Broome would by now be wrecking the Kimberley coastline," Dr Bob Brown said. [node:read-more:link]

First Nations people in West Australia's Pilbara iron ore region are taking on BHP Billiton over its claim for leases covering 200 square kilometres of their tribal country.

Key environmentalist, Dr Jim Green, has taken issue with Warren Mundine's environmental comments early in June 2014.

Mr Mundine challenged green groups ‘to name one place in Australia where they would support a new mine'. Mr Mundine wrote, that he is ‘still waiting for an answer'. Dr Green said that if Mr Mundine had asked him he would have responded and he can name six States and two Territories where I would support a new mine. [node:read-more:link]

A great overview of the proposed changes in the WA heritage Act - The new and the old - the good and the bad by Nicholas Herriman of Latrobe University.

The fast pace of development in WA has destroyed much First Nations heritage. In recognition of this, WA’s parliament passed, in 1972, the Aboriginal Heritage Act. Now they propose an updated model but the revisions will make it easier for developers to disturb heritage sites. [node:read-more:link]

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]