Hello friends, the real showdown begins. We are not just holding the line on Adani, we are taking the fight right up to them. We have launched a decisive blow to Adani’s ability to get its dirty mine going on our country. Adani are on the back foot, but they’re trying to hide the fact. Will you share our news? In April last year, Adani orchestrated a fake land use agreement for the Carmichael mine. They called and bankrolled a meeting that included hundreds of people who aren’t direct descendants of our W&J ancestors to sign up to an ILUA - an Indigenous Land Use Agreement.
They thought they could get away with it. But they failed to get the signatures of our family leaders who have opposed their mine all along.
Adani’s plan to rob us of our land and water came unstuck last week when an important decision in the Federal Court, for the Noongar people in Western Australia, confirmed that under the law, an ILUA is not real unless it has the signatures of all our representatives on it.
We already told Adani and the Queensland government that their supposed agreement was invalid. Our lawyers have written to Adani Mining demanding they withdraw their application to register their sham ILUA with the National Native Title Tribunal.
And if they don't do it, next week we’ll go to Federal Court to have this ‘agreement’ struck out!
This is big.
The next few weeks will be crucial for our campaign. As our supporters, you’ll be the first to hear updates.
Adrian Burragubba and Murrawah Johnson
for the Wangan & Jagalingou Traditional Owners Council
P.S. And as always, if you can donate to our Defence of Country Fund, or encourage your friends and families to, it is greatly appreciated.
More voices on this
Saying no to Adani, saying yes to the Reef
Josh Meadows, senior media adviser at the Australian Conservation Foundation.
8 February 2017: "For those who don’t believe this project should proceed – because of the impact the massive coal mine would have on the local environment, culturally significant places, water supplies, the climate and the Great Barrier Reef – it can feel like we’re losing."
Audio: North Queensland Conservation Council president Gail Hamilton
Audio: Townsville Eighteen-year-old Maison Lukic-Bristow is from a defence force family
Audio: Liz Downes discusses nature, Townsville and the Adani Mine
Audio: Interview with Great Barrier Reef dive operator Tony Fontes
Audio: Ken Dodd talks about his country and the Adani mine
"Ken doesn’t buy the argument that there would be jobs for local Aboriginal people if the mine and railway were built.
"“I’ve been in negotiations on native title for a long time,” he says. “One of the main selling points is the business, employment and training opportunities for our people. That has failed us every time.”
"Ken says the way mining companies use the word ‘indigenous’ actually disadvantages the local traditional owners.
“To hear that they’re using the Indian people and their social struggle as a third world country to get this mine across… it’s an insult to people [here in Australia] who have come from third world conditions.”