Rock art heritage threat ignored


A FEDERAL parliamentary committee will this week begin its inquiry into the destruction by Rio Tinto of 46,000-year-old cave shelters in Juukan Gorge, about 60km north-west of Tom Price.
Unfortunately, its narrow terms of reference and plans to build a new port on the Pilbara coast will do little to protect other significant Aboriginal sites under threat including Depuch Island 3km off Balla Balla near Whim Creek between Karratha and Port Hedland.
The McGowan Government has ratified a state agreement (signed in 2017 by former WA premier Colin Barnett) with NZ company Todd Corporation to build a 162km rail line to Balla Balla as part of a $6 billion project to export 1 billion tonnes of iron ore over the next 20 years.
The project is expected to employ more than 3000 workers during construction and 900 permanent jobs during its operation, with provision in the agreement for two 10-year extensions. Construction was expected to start in 2018, the project having stalled after a fallout with minority shareholders.
However, in June last year, Flinders Mines announced the appointment of former WA Attorney General Cheryl Edwards to its board as a way of advancing the Balla Balla project, which is majority backed by Flinders’ major shareholder, Todd Corporation.
By November, Flinders and Balla Balla Infrastructure Group established a joint venture Ms Edwards claimed finally cleared the path for, “the integrated development of what we expect will become a significant mine, rail and port system in the Pilbara”.
BBI Group is jointly owned by Todd Corporation and Nyco, an investment company owned by Sydney businessman and former Lynas Corporation boss Nic Curtis.
Todd Corporation has also signed a memorandum of understanding to partner with China State Construction Engineering Corporation for the construction of the rail and port and says it has put in place all native title and heritage agreements with, “relevant traditional owner groups”.
This includes Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation (for the Ngarluma people); Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (Yindjibarndi people) and Wintawari Aboriginal Corporation (Eastern Guruma people).
The MOU was signed in 2017 at a ceremony in Canberra attended by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

‘Exceptional Aboriginal heritage’


StreetWise Media visited the 1200ha ‘punishment’ island on July 15 as part of its exclusive coverage of the internationally renown rock art at Depuch at www.streetwidemdia.com.au.
In the early 1960s, the WA Government abandoned plans to industrialise Balla Balla after WA Museum scientists identified thousands of petroglyphs, “on the volcanic ‘hill’ Ngarluma, Gariyarra and Yindjibarndi people believe was left over from the creation of Uluru (Ayer’s Rock)”.
The history and cultural significance of Uluru’s sacred ‘sister’ are reported in detail at www.streetwisemedia.com.au/freo-streetwise-august-2020/#1.
Originally considered but rejected as a deepwater port, “on the grounds of its exceptional Aboriginal heritage”, Depuch was described by the visiting scientists as a, “repository of Australian prehistory no less significant than such world-renowned prehistoric art galleries as the caves of Lascaux in the Dordogne and Altamira in northern Spain”.
Depuch Island also boasts a European maritime heritage dating back to 1801 when it was named and charted by French explorers and 1840 when the crew of HMS Beagle first recorded the petroglyphs and left their own inscriptions StreetWise photographed at Anchor Hill.
Surprisingly, rock art-rich Depuch is not included in the proposed World Heritage List nomination of the 36,860ha Burrup ‘Murujuga’ rock art at Dampier, just 100km away.
Mr McGowan and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Wyatt refuse to comment on the potential threat to Depuch’s rock art. BBI Group and traditional owners did not respond to requests for a comment.
The WA Museum, which saved the petroglyphs (ironically, only to shift government plans to Burrup Peninsula) says it did not want to get involved – a far cry from the early 1960s when it saved the rock art from industrial destruction. It even recommended relocating rock art to nearby Roebourne if the Government proceeded with Depuch port plan.
“We have very clear boundaries regarding them (traditional owners) having privacy in their cultural heritage,” a spokesman told StreetWise, adding the Depuch rock art was protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act. “Clearly it is a place of great importance but we wouldn’t interfere with what they do or say.”
The spokesman said management of the Depuch and Balla Balla area was transferred to traditional owners in 2015.

Don’t mention Depuch

Below some of the MPs’ 2017 parliamentary comments on the BBI project. Depuch Island was not mentioned once.
Mark McGowan: This agreement is consistent with the government’s vision for the Pilbara mining industry … BBI has made commitments on key native title Indigenous benefits and engagement in education, employment, contracting, environmental processes, project committees, community committees, shared value projects, heritage protection and in-kind assistance. The benefits and engagement structure were developed jointly by BBI and the native title holder group to target matters of interest to the native title holder group. I am advised that there has been a fairly amicable and reasonable process in securing those benefits.
Mike Nahan: This is a really good project … Another aspect of this agreement is bringing a large Chinese state-owned corporation into infrastructure provision in WA, which I think is a good thing.
Vince Catania: Members might know that the project is in my electorate and that the previous member for Pilbara, Hon Brendon Grylls, was a great advocate for this project going ahead. It is a great project for the Pilbara.
Alannah MacTiernan: It will benefit not just the joint venture partners, but also the Pilbara region, the Aboriginal people and the entire WA community, particularly communities in the Pilbara.
Sean L’Estrange: Through my office and certainly from meeting with representatives of Balla Balla, we have asked how they think the project is going, how the bill looks to them and whether they have any concerns with it. The feedback I have received is that they were comfortable with the decisions and actions taken by the Liberal–National government
Jacqui Boydell: I think that BBI has taken a very good approach to local engagement and has placed long-term benefits for the local community at the forefront of its negotiations.