Issue Facing the Fitzroy
7-Jan-2010, Sophia Christoe, Environmental Officer / Indigenous Liason

According to our friends at the Australian Conservation Foundation, the environmental challenges along the Fitzroy River didn’t end with the failed bids to establish an irrigated cotton industry based on its waters, or the more recent plan to pipe it 2,000km south to Perth. The Fitzroy is still threatened; by businesses and governmants more focused on profits and commercial success than cherishing the genuinely unspoilt environment the river is part of.

Coal exploration
Western sections of the River are earmarked for coal exploration. The coal is not of a high quality, and would be exported to India rather than being used in Australia. Presently the area is under a grazing lease, with the station managed by the Nyikina people. The logic of this decision, where the grazing land has been described as some of the best in the country, needs to be strongly challenged.

Land leases and large-scale agriculture
The entire length of the Fitzroy River is held in pastoral leases. The current system of land tenure in the Kimberley, where land is often held in a pastoral grazing lease from the government, is an important past of the history of white settlement in Western Australia. While European settlement was a dark time of slavery, hard labour and other atrocities for Indigenous people across the state, many stations and leases have returned back to the traditional owners. Today there are 470 pastoral leases in WA, covering 90 million hectares. However only 2% of this land is in an Indigenous held pastoral lease.

A review of the requirements and restrictions of these leases is now underway. One of the changes sought would make it easier for tourism activities to operate, which would help in increasing the number of people who can experience and appreciate the beauty of the Fitzroy river area. However, the most significant change relates to allowing large scale irrigated agriculture under leases. This would see a large part of the Kimberley converted from large scale grazing, with relatively less environmental impact, to intensive irrigated crops. With the average station size being over 100,000 hectares, this would have a lasting impact on the natural ecology of these areas.

Despite the low population density of the Kimberley, the sheer dominance of pastoral leases and changes in human activities in the area has had a negative impact on the populations of native mammals. The intrusion of irrigated agriculture in the region would not help these struggling species in the slightest.

Links:
ACF, The Mighty Fitzroy River information:
http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=1502

Environs Kimberley Freshwater campaign: http://www.environskimberley.org.au/fresh_water.htm

 

Stop industrialisation of the Kimberley
Date: 9-Dec-2009 - ACF online
The full Council of the Australian Conservation Foundation has passed a motion opposing the building of a massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing facility at James Price Point, 60 kilometres north of Broome, or elsewhere in the Kimberley.

After lengthy discussion, including meetings with the Kimberley Land Council and Traditional Owners in Broome, ACF has formed the view that a large LNG processing facility on the Kimberley coastline would pose unacceptable risks to a region with numerous outstanding natural values.

James Price Point, the surrounding region and the Kimberley as a whole is home to many threatened species.

Last week the Commonwealth and Western Australian governments made the renewal of retention leases held by the Browse joint venturers partners conditional on their acceptance by 31 December 2009 of an enforced deadline on the new lease and acceptance within 120 days of James Price Point as the only site for a LNG hub.

“For governments to try to force business partners to commit to James Price Point and the Kimberley before environmental studies have been finalised seriously compromises the decision making process,” said ACF executive director Don Henry.

“The natural and cultural values of the Kimberley are simply too great for major industrialisation and all the impacts that will flow from it for the Kimberley region. ACF is concerned this could be the thin end of the wedge for further industrialisation of the Kimberley, including bauxite and uranium mining.

“We remain respectful of the work of Kimberley Land Council and the Traditional Owners and very much appreciate our ongoing consultations with them.

“Governments should redouble their efforts to help Traditional Owners tackle social disadvantage in the Kimberley and protect the outstanding environmental and cultural values of the area, with the consent of the Traditional Owners.

“And there should be a renewed effort to find appropriate alternative sites for processing the gas outside the Kimberley,” Mr Henry said.