Opinions.

not pollution

Australia’s The Kimberley is counting on us

By Amanda McGregor, Contributor

ill we ever be able to use exclusively
Wee resources? Well, if they’re unable

to provide profits as well as dirty
oil does, then what's the point right? Perhaps
the biggest obstacle in the way are the money
hungry politicians. It’s as if they don’t care that,
in this article’s case, a pipeline, can destroy one
of the world’s most natural and untouched
places, specifically, the pristine region of
Australia known as The Kimberley.

What is The Kimberley? It is one of the
nine regions that make up Western Australia
and is also one of the last extreme wildernesses
untouched from industrialization.

Located in the Kimberley is James Price
Point (JPP), 50 km north of Broome. Here, a
liquefied natural gas (LNG) refinery is under
tentative development by Woodside, one of
Australia’s largest publicly traded oil and
gas exploration and production companies.
Woodside is also one of the world’s leading
producers of LNG. Early reports say the
construction of the refinery will cost upwards
of $30 billion. When you factor in the
environmental risks, as well as the huge amount
of money being funnelled in, is the project really
worth it?

Despite this project having not yet been
approved by either the state nor the federal
government, primarily due to it’s unpopularity
and environmental concerns, Woodside has
already begun to clear the land at James Price
Point anyways. Although Woodside has
previously been known to break the law, police
have yet to take any action. Instead, the police
are acting like their private security as per
Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett’s
personal instructions. Since December of last
yeat, major protests have been panning out to
dissuade this proposition. People are literally
putting themselves in the way, building
blockades to stop this project.

The Kimberley is also of historical
importance to several indigenous groups,
including the Goolarabooloo and Lurujarri.
Joseph Roe, law boss of the Goolarabooloo, holds
the responsibility to keep the Songline going and
sustain life in the area to its fullest. Roe says, “I
will never let anyone take away my country, my
culture, my heritage, and my spirituality.”

One of the main reasons to keep The
Kimberley undeveloped is very simple: to
preserve wildlife. Recently, a rare and significant
group of the endangered Gouldian finch was
found near Broome. Conservation group WWF-
Australia reported that “there were currently less
than 2,500 adult Gouldian finches in the wild, so
the discovery of a significant population north of
Broome by indigenous rangers and environment
groups was exciting.” Indigenous rangers have
since marked the area as a breeding ground.

The Kimberley Coast is also the breeding and
nursery ground for the world’s largest remaining
population of Humpback whales. The Kimberley

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is too significant and special of a place to be
put at unnecessary risk. The refinery would
cause the area to suffer immense damage, both
environmentally and culturally. There is only
one Kimberley and it deserves protection, not
pollution. “Hands off country!”

Help stop the theft of The Kimberley! If you
would like to get involved or want to learn more
about this project, go to savethekimberley.com or visit
goolarabooloo.org.au

 

 

 

Pass

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