Murujuga: Difference between revisions
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The [[Government of Western Australia|West Australian State government]] has continued to support development at the site, arguing a lack of cost-effective alternative sites and that geographical expansion of facility areas will be extremely limited. The campaign against development has blurred some traditional political boundaries, with former conservative party Resources Development Minister Mr [[Colin Barnett]] now supporting campaigns to save rock art in this area (ref needed). |
The [[Government of Western Australia|West Australian State government]] has continued to support development at the site, arguing a lack of cost-effective alternative sites and that geographical expansion of facility areas will be extremely limited. The campaign against development has blurred some traditional political boundaries, with former conservative party Resources Development Minister Mr [[Colin Barnett]] now supporting campaigns to save rock art in this area (ref needed). |
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The debate has placed the Australian national government in a |
The debate has placed the Australian national government in a difficult situation.<ref>See for example, AM, 3 October 2006, New factors prompt further Burrup Peninsula consideration, (transcript of radio report), ABC Radio, http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/env/2006/tr03oct206.html</ref> On the one hand, national heritage bodies have supported protection for the area, and the governments at national and state level have been of opposing political parties, giving the federal government reason to support site protection. On the other hand, the Western Australian economy has been crucial to Australia's economic wealth generally, and its export earnings in particular, and the national government will be reluctant to appear to interfere with that economic prosperity. |
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The protest campaign against development has garnered popular support: <blockquote>42,000 personal messages were lodged with Woodside's Directors at their Annual General Meeting. Following shareholders questions at the AGM, Director Don Voelte finally admitted that the State Government had directed them towards developing amidst the rock art and that they had accepted.<ref>GetUp campaign blog post, http://www.getup.org.au/blog_details.asp?blog_post_id=138</ref></blockquote> |
The protest campaign against development has garnered popular support: <blockquote>42,000 personal messages were lodged with Woodside's Directors at their Annual General Meeting. Following shareholders questions at the AGM, Director Don Voelte finally admitted that the State Government had directed them towards developing amidst the rock art and that they had accepted.<ref>GetUp campaign blog post, http://www.getup.org.au/blog_details.asp?blog_post_id=138</ref></blockquote> |
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Revision as of 02:05, 10 August 2007
Murujuga (Hip Bone Sticking Out), or The Burrup Peninsula, is located on the north-western coast of Western Australia on the Dampier Archipelago. It is a unique ecological and archaeological area since it contains the world's largest and most important collection of petroglyphs – ancient Aboriginal rock carvings some claim to date back as far as the last ice age. The collection of standing stones is the largest in Australia. The rock art numbers over a million petroglyphs and contains many images of the now extinct Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger).
The Dampier Rock Art Precinct, which covers the entire Archipelago, is currently the subject of much debate due to a large supply of off-shore natural gas in the area.
Development controversy
Concern around the ecological, historical, cultural and archaeological significance of the area has led to a campaign for its protection, causing conflict with industrial development on the site. The preservation of the Murujuga monument has been called for since 1969, and in 2002 the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations (IFRAO) commenced a campaign to preserve the remaining monument. Murujuga has been listed on the National Trust of Australia Endangered Places Register[1] and as one of 100 most endangered heritage sites on earth by the World Monuments Fund - the only site in Australia to make that list[2].
Claims have been made that since 1963, 24.4 per cent of the rock art on Murujuga has been destroyed to make way for industrial development.[3] However, the Western Australian government, responding to a question in parliament, has argued for a much lower figure, suggesting that approximately 4 per cent of sites, representing approximately 7.2 per cent of petroglyphs, have been destroyed since 1972.[4] However, as the Western Australian government has noted, there is no complete inventory of rock art in the region,[5] making assessments of current and future impacts on the site a challenging task.
Work commissioned by the West Australian National Trust led it to nominate the site for the National Trust Endangered Places list in 2002.[6] In 2006 the Australian Heritage Council advised the federal Environment and Heritage Minister that the site was suitable for National Heritage listing.[7]
The West Australian State government has continued to support development at the site, arguing a lack of cost-effective alternative sites and that geographical expansion of facility areas will be extremely limited. The campaign against development has blurred some traditional political boundaries, with former conservative party Resources Development Minister Mr Colin Barnett now supporting campaigns to save rock art in this area (ref needed).
The debate has placed the Australian national government in a difficult situation.[8] On the one hand, national heritage bodies have supported protection for the area, and the governments at national and state level have been of opposing political parties, giving the federal government reason to support site protection. On the other hand, the Western Australian economy has been crucial to Australia's economic wealth generally, and its export earnings in particular, and the national government will be reluctant to appear to interfere with that economic prosperity.
The protest campaign against development has garnered popular support:
42,000 personal messages were lodged with Woodside's Directors at their Annual General Meeting. Following shareholders questions at the AGM, Director Don Voelte finally admitted that the State Government had directed them towards developing amidst the rock art and that they had accepted.[9]
As of June 2007, the debate continues, with the Australian government still to determine what if any intervention it may make in the case under federal heritage protection or other laws. The federal minister has indicated support for National Heritage listing, however the question of site boundaries and management strategies remains under negotiation.[10]
References
- ^ National Trust of Australia, Endangered Places Register 2004, http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/ep04/endangeredplaces2004.htm
- ^ World Monuments Fund, World Monuments Watch 100 Most Endangered Sites 2008, http://www.worldmonumentswatch.org/
- ^ Robert G. Bednarik, Dampier Fact Sheet, October 2006, http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/dampier/web/facts.html
- ^ Hon. John Ford, answer to question on notice, Western Australia Legislative Council Hansard, 16 August 2005.
- ^ WA Department of Industry and Resources, Burrup Peninsula, Frequently Asked Questions, http://www.doir.wa.gov.au/investment/D78FA8400D554422991853F5A8B0263F.asp
- ^ National Trust of Australia (WA), Archaeology and rock art in the Dampier Archipelago, http://www.burrup.org.au/
- ^ ABC News Online, National Trust backs Burrup heritage report, 4 October 2006, http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1755743.htm
- ^ See for example, AM, 3 October 2006, New factors prompt further Burrup Peninsula consideration, (transcript of radio report), ABC Radio, http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/env/2006/tr03oct206.html
- ^ GetUp campaign blog post, http://www.getup.org.au/blog_details.asp?blog_post_id=138
- ^ The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, Turnbull works for Burrup Solution, media release, 22 Feb 2007
External links
- Dampier Rock Art home-page
- National Trust information on Dampier Rock Art
- Australian Heritage Database
- IFRAO
- Department of Industry and Resources (WA)
- Friends of Australian Rock Art campaign website
Additional reading
Vinnicombe, P. (2002), Petroglyphs of the Dampier Archipelago: Background to Development and Descriptive Analysis, Rock Art Research, Volume 19, No 1, pp 3-27
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