Central Queensland indigenous groups have rejected claims Wangan and Jagalingou elders had voted to support the Adani Carmichael Coal Mine and have confirmed legal action is still ongoing.
Despite The Australian reporting the group voted to support the mine, it is believed the group was not the Native Title claim group which is considered a higher assembly.
Wangan and Jagalingou spokesperson Adrian Burragubba said the meeting was not “legally constituted” and strongly condemned plans to extinguish native title on parts of the W&J’s traditional lands in the Galilee Basin to develop the $16.5b mine.
“It is beyond comprehension that the Government would consider such a shameful and absurd proposal in an era when our rights are sanctioned under international law; and when we are already in the Federal Court contesting the State Government and Adani’s attempts to override our rights,” Mr Burragubba said.
Mr Burragubba vowed to fight any proposal to extinguish native title on the W&J people’s land by force.
“This proposal won’t stand. Not here, not now, not this time. We will fight this all the way to the High Court if need be,” he said.
“We do not consent to Carmichael mine, and we never will. Adani’s disastrous mega-mine threatens to devastate my people’s lands and waters. It will annihilate the ancient, spiritual connection to Country that makes us who we are. Its scale and impacts mean our Country would literally disappear.
“We will fight this mine until we secure our rights to self-determination in and on our land. We will pursue our rights through the Courts. And we will continue the work we are doing through United Nations to stop this mine and assert our rights.”
The group has rejected an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with Adani twice, and last week they took on the Indian mining giant and the Queensland Government in the Federal Court. The case is expected to resume in February, 2016.
Add Comment