Wyndham and Halls Creek are said to be more vulnerable areas as they do not have the large volunteer force assembled in Kununurra.

The West Australian [read this story]

The company’s license to perform seismic testing, which is said to interfere with whale’s sonar sensing,  is also under appeal.

The Australian [read this story]

They say they have recently been paying a local operator to help fight fires by plane.

ABC [read this story]

Although the Greens would be unable to prevent a government granting environmental approval for the project, she said she will be considering “options” with her party.

The West Australian [read this story]

He said while Australia was lucky that the spill from the Montara disaster drifted north to Indonesia, a similar accident at the proposed James Price Point development would rival the recent spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sydney Morning Herald [read this story]

Campaign organisers say they aim to embarrass Woodside, Shell, Chevron, BP and BHP as beneficiaries of wilderness land taken forcefully from Indigenous people.

Sydney Morning Herald [read this story]

Environs Kimberley, WWF Australia, Conservation Council, Pew Environment Group, and the Nature Conservancy wish to reserve much of our region as a wilderness park.

You can see their website here: [go to website]

The survey’s organisers say construction of a gas hub will be detrimental to the coast-hugging whales, interfering with their feeding, movement and breeding.

The West Australian [read this story]

A Curtin University tourism study argues heavy industrial development will harm the emerging Kimberley tourism industry.

A wildlife photographer said increased boat traffic is already disturbing the whales.

Australian Geographic [read this story]

The ABC said the premier’s decision to go ahead with the gas hub is dividing the local community at Broome.

ABC [read this story]

Senator Siewert

Greens Senator Rachel Siewert speaks strongly against compulsory acquisition of James Price Point for a gas hub.

You can read her statement here:

2 September 2010

Compulsory acquisition wrong, say Greens

The Australian Greens have criticised the WA Government’s decision to compulsory acquire land for a resources project at James Price Point, saying important human rights and environmental issues are being ignored.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson for Aboriginal Issues says the compulsory land acquisition is not acceptable and is a step backwards from meaningful reconciliation.

“The WA Government is prioritising development over the rights of traditional owners – it is yet another example of government ignoring important human rights and discrimination issues,” Senator Siewert said.

“Premier Barnett tried to short-cut the consultation process to determine the best site for a gas hub and force a site onto the traditional owners and the community. Now he’s complaining that railroading the community hasn’t worked, and is trying to use the problems and delays caused by his poor process as an excuse for compulsory acquisition.

The Greens have also voiced concerns about the project’s environmental impact.

“Important whale populations and the unique environment will all be impacted by this development,” Senator Siewert said.

“We should be passed the era of development regardless of the human rights and environmental toll but it appears here in WA we are not.

“The Greens, as attested to through our push for a referendum on the recognition of the First Nations in the Australian Constitution, are committed to seeing an end to discrimination in this country.

“The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has this week delivered a damning report on Australia’s failure to meet international commitments on eliminating discrimination, and it’s little wonder this finding has been made, given today’s decision,” Senator Siewert concluded.

Martin Pritchard

A green group says Premier Barnett is “showing contempt for the local community and environment”.

Environs Kimberley director Martin Pritchard was commenting on Mr Barnett’s plan to acquire James Price Point for a gas hub.

You can read his statement here:

MEDIA ALERT
September 2, 2010
Premier’s ‘rush to riches’ shows contempt
The WA Premier Colin Barnett’s rush to develop the Kimberley shows contempt for the local community and environment, according to Environs Kimberley.
“In his rush to riches the Premier has ignored community concerns about damage to the environment and to the local economy, which is largely based on tourism. The Premier’s Department of State Development has refused requests for a public meeting on the social impacts of the proposed oil and gas refinery on Broome’s doorstep,” Environs Kimberley Director Martin Pritchard said. “Every time we raise a concern about the proposed gas refinery the Premier dismisses it.”
A report by the Centre for Sustainable Tourism has shown that a gas refinery would have a serious impact on tourism in the Kimberley and Broome in particular, but the Premier is refuting the findings.
“Compulsory acquisition of the land shows how desperate the Premier is to industrialise this part of the Kimberley coast, regardless of the cost to Traditional Owners and the environment,” Mr Pritchard said.
Far from ‘unremarkable’ as the Premier once described it, the land in question had been earmarked by the government as a future National Park for the past 20 years, features a threatened ecological community and is adjacent to a whale calving area for the Kimberley coast’s famed humpback whales.
“The Premier has broken all agreements with the Commonwealth over the assessment of this project, including the agreement to have the free, prior and informed consent of Traditional Owners as well as to make a thorough assessment of processing sites outside the Kimberley”, said Mr Pritchard.
“The Premier has chosen a moment to announce compulsory acquisition when the Commonwealth government is in caretaker mode and cannot respond.” Mr Pritchard said.
“We are calling on Woodside and its Joint Venture partners Shell, BP, Chevron and BHP not to go ahead with the Premier’s oil and gas refinery near Broome, but to continue with their plans to pipe the gas south to the Pilbara.
“A JP Morgan report has stated that piping south is a more cost effective deal for the JV partners and the longer the decision is delayed, the more attractive the Pilbara option becomes,” Mr Pritchard said.