<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jul/27/jabiluka-decision-ends-long-running-battle-and-preserves-some-of-the-oldest-rock-art-in-the-world>
"It’s the decades-long fight over uranium mining that pitted Indigenous owners
against the resources industry.
Now it seems the war is over, with the Australian government moving to expand
the Kakadu national park to protect the Jabiluka site from mining for ever.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, will announce the decision on Saturday,
declaring “this beautiful part of Australia is home to some of the oldest rock
art in the world”.
Jabiluka is also the site of one of the world’s biggest uranium deposits.
Energy Resources Australia (ERA), which is majority-owned by Rio Tinto, has
held the mining lease since 1991.
The mine is surrounded by Kakadu national park. Local traditional owners, the
Mirrar people, have long wanted the land incorporated into the park, a step
also advocated by the former federal environment minister and Midnight Oil
frontman, Peter Garrett.
The granting of the original lease in 1991 was hugely controversial at the
time. In the 1990s, the Mirrar people led a blockade of the mine site and
applied persistent pressure to stop development."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
