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PLUNDER DOWN UNDER

Aboriginal People Oppose Uranium Mining in Australia

In early 1996, a conservative coalition was elected to office in Australia. In a country housing an estimated 35 percent of the world's uranium reserves, the new federal government was keen to increase the uranium mining that had been restricted in previous years due to community and indigenous opposition.

This policy has put the government on a collision course with environmental groups and many Aboriginal traditional owners. The first new mining application was for a place called Jabiluka, and the continuing struggle over whether or not to exploit this region is one of Australia's defining environmental and human rights issues.

Located in the remote Northern Territory, Jabiluka is surrounded by but not legally part of Australia's largest national park, Kakadu. The region is of great significance for both its natural and cultural values, and one of fewer than 25 places listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Breathtaking Biodiversity
The Kakadu region is widely recognized as having outstanding conservation values. It is home to 21 of Australia's 29 mangrove species, over 900 plant species, one third of Australia's bird species, one quarter of the nation's freshwater fish, over 100 species of amphibians and reptiles, and an estimated 10,000 species of insects.

Kakadu's extensive Ramsar-listed wetlands contain the world's richest tropical breeding ground for waterbirds. The dominant river systems have created large floodplains, swamps, estuaries, mangroves and mudflats. The sandstone escarpment of the Arnhem Land plateau towers over the floodplains, and the cumulative effect is awe-inspiring.

Home Sweet Home
But Kakadu is far more than a remarkable natural ecosystem. The region is also home to indigenous people regarded as having the longest continuous cultural traditions on earth. The area contains more than 7,000 rock art sites with over 400,000 individual paintings. These are of active importance to local Aboriginal people, and cultural practices remain strong. Like the rest of Australia, Kakadu always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

The Mirrar people are the traditional owners of the region that includes both the proposed Jabiluka mine and the existing Ranger uranium mine. Their claim to this country has also been recognized in non-Aboriginal law with a 1982 statement by the Aboriginal Land Commissioner that described the Mirrar as having "common spiritual affiliations to sites on the land that place the group under a primary spiritual responsibility for the sites and the land". The Mirrar people's determination to oppose the Jabiluka mine is based on their commitment to protect country and culture, and has put them in the lead of a major campaign both in Australia and around the world.

Environmental, Cultural and Human Rights
A key feature of the campaign against the mine has been the linkage between environmental, cultural and human rights concerns. This is clear from a statement by the Mirrar people about the impacts of Jabiluka:

"A new mine will make our future worthless and destroy more of our country. Our future depends on our culture remaining strong. We have no desire to see any more country ripped up and further negative intrusions on our lives. We have to deal with the massive intrusions that development brings to our country. Our priority is protecting country and by doing this protecting our people and our future".

The Mirrar have lived with the reality of uranium mining on their land for two decades, and speak from direct experience. The campaign against the mine continues to be a dynamic and creative one, and has seen close cooperation between the Aboriginal traditional owners and regional, national and international environment groups.

There have been numerous legal and political initiatives in Australia, along with strong corporate campaigning focusing on the companies involved in the unpopular project. The European Parliament has passed a resolution opposing the mine's development, and its impacts on the unique values and properties of Kakadu continues to be the focus of scrutiny from the World Heritage Committee. A major non-violent direct action blockade involving more than 5,000 people and resulting in over 500 arrests has been part of the sustained campaigning that has made Jabiluka a household word in Australia and created attention around the world.

Campaign Victories
The resistance of the Mirrar people to the project along with opposition from the majority of the wider Australian and international community has seen work at the controversial mine site stalled since September 1999. Given that Jabiluka was meant to start commercial production in 2000, this is a real vindication of the importance of community mobilization and the efforts of the many people who support indigenous rights and a nuclear-free future.

Friends of the Earth has clearly recognized the importance of this issue, and in 1998 the senior Mirrar traditional owner, Yvonne Margarula, received the FoEI Environmental Award. FoE Australia has played an important role in the campaign as one of the main protest organizers, and other FoE member groups have highlighted the issue around the world. FoE England, Wales and Northern Ireland has played an important and welcome role in putting pressure on mining giant Rio Tinto.

Based in London, Rio Tinto has been the majority (68 percent) shareholder in Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) since August 2000. Following strong pressure in both Australia and England, Rio Tinto recently stated that they do not support Jabiluka's development "in the short term". This is a positive move, but does not go far enough. FoE is continuing to call for Rio Tinto to commit to neither developing nor selling ERA or Jabiluka, and to instead begin a process to make the Jabiluka mineral lease part of Kakadu National Park under the joint management of the Mirrar people.

So far our efforts have stalled Jabiluka, and now together we have a real opportunity to stop the literal bulldozing of indigenous aspirations, the environment and our vision for a safer and saner future.

Dave Sweeney has been closely involved with the campaign to stop Jabiluka and assists with international liaison for FoE Australia.

For more information about Jabiluka, visit: www.foe.org.au, www.acfonline.org.au, www.mirrar.net and www.sea-us.org.au.