MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday 9 April 2019
W&J Council call on Federal Labor to commit to review Adani decision
The Wangan and Jagalingou Family Council says the decision by Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price to approve Adani’s groundwater plan has been made under intense political pressure.
The Family Council believes the environmental approvals process has been corrupted and the science has not been properly followed, placing their country and cultural heritage at extreme risk.
W&J Council spokesperson Adrian Burragubba said: “This Federal Government decision shows the Coalition is prepared to place our sacred springs and the water from our country at extreme risk. All for an untrustworthy corporation and some false promises of jobs and money.
“We call on the Federal Labor opposition to commit to review all Commonwealth environmental approvals for Adani, given the extreme level of political interference in this decision and the outstanding scientific questions about the impact of Adani’s mine on our water.
“We expect Bill Shorten to make strong commitments to review this decision given his recent comments. The corruption of process around all aspects of the Adani mine cannot be left uninvestigated.
“Adani is a long way off all the approvals they need for this mine. And it is often overlooked that we have Adani’s dodgy Indigenous Land Use Agreement under appeal before the full bench of the Federal Court in late May. We are now seeking legal advice on our options to challenge Minister Price’s decision.
“No-one should believe this approval means Adani can move ahead. This is nothing more than a politically convenient decision by the Liberal National Coalition” he said.
The Council continues to oppose this destructive mine. They say the environment is their homeland and they cannot trust Adani with their water and the Doongmabulla springs. They say the mine would have devastating impacts on their ancestral lands and waters, the plants and animals, and on their cultural heritage.
“The mine would pollute and drain billions of litres of groundwater, and obliterate our ancient springs”, Mr Burragubba said.
“The water is our life. It is our dreaming and our sovereignty. We cannot give that away. With this decision, the Commonwealth continues to violate our common law rights to our culture. Water is central to our laws, our religion and our identity. It is the Mundunjudra, the water spirit, the rainbow serpent”, he concluded.
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For more information, contact:
Anthony Esposito, W&J Council Adviser, 0418 152 743