Aboriginal protesters are not bludgers

Traditional owners in Broome have lashed out at reports painting opponents of the James Price Point LNG gas precinct as privileged white blow-ins, racists, liars or bludgers, saying local Aboriginals were leading the protests against the development with support from the community.

Jabirr Jabirr woman Mitch Torres, an awardwinning filmmaker born in Broome, said “onesided” news reports had led to the misconception “feral” outsiders were spearheading the protests to the detriment of Aboriginal people. “We are in the forefront, we are leading it,” she said.

“We’re certainly not bludgers, we’re not liars, tree-huggers, blow-ins or ferals.

“Many of us Aboriginal people have jobs, we rush out (to the protest site) in the morning and get back to town before our jobs start.

“What we are saying, which still isn’t clear in the media, is we’re not saying no to gas, we’re not anti-development; we’re saying no to that location.”

Ms Torres dismissed circulated newsletters racially vilifying outgoing Kimberley Aboriginal MP Carol Martin and others as “toxic coconuts” for supporting the project as the work of one person who was not supported by anti-gas protesters.

Respected Aboriginal elders John Watson and Joe Brown, both special advisers to the Kimberley Land Council, which led negotiations with Woodside and the State Government to secure the $30 billion project, spoke out in support of traditional owners in favour of the project this week after ugly racial tensions threatened to boil over in the town.

Mr Watson described the Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr traditional owners’ decision to back the project in April as a “brave act of self-determination”.

Ms Torres said she respected her elders’ rights to express their opinions and did not want to create a false impression of Aboriginal in-fighting by disagreeing, but there were dissenting views that also must be heard.

She pointed out traditional owners were never given the option to say no to the project because of the threat of compulsory acquisition hanging over their heads.

Instead, they could vote only on whether or not to accept a $1.5 billion benefits package including housing, education, heath and training initiatives to be delivered over 30 years.

Fewer than 300 of more than 1000 eligible people voted, with 164 in favour and 108 against, she said. “We had the gun to our head and we said no,” Ms Torres said.

“We don’t accept the outcome of the vote because we know the vote was flawed and the process leading up to the vote was flawed … how can you say it was an act of self-determination?” Ms Torres denied Kimberley Aboriginals would be better off if the development went ahead, saying people only needed to look to the Pilbara for the reasons why.

“We’ve got 50 years of history to look back on. Has that mining industry delivered better education, better health, better social outcomes for indigenous people? I don’t think so,” she said.