Today, the Native Title Tribunal cleared the way for multinational mining behemoth Santos to commence mining the Pilliga Forest for gas in the face of opposition from Traditional Owners, the Gomeroi people.
For nearly a decade Gomeroi Traditional Owners have repeatedly expressed serious concerns about the devastating cultural and environmental impact that Santos mining in the Pilliga Forest will have on their land.
Today’s decision at the Native Title Tribunal effectively means that the Traditional Owners concerns will be completely dismissed in favour of Santos’ plans to mine gas for sale into global markets.
Since Gomeroi Traditional Owners first blew the whistle on the project they have been strongly supported by a large and sometimes unusual cross section of the community, from major land holders in the area through to environmentalists, teachers, healthcare professionals, tradespeople and their unions.
Unions NSW President Vanessa Seagrove expressed deep disappointment in the ruling, stating that “We believe that the right to land is fundamental to the cultural identity and survival of Indigenous peoples. The ruling is a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles faced by First Nations communities in asserting their rights,” said Vanessa Seagrove, Assistant Secretary of Unions NSW.
"Nurses and midwives must use our voice to advocate for real action on climate change – this means no new fossil fuel extraction should occur. The NSWNMA commits our ongoing support for the right of the traditional owners of this land to have their voice heard," said Michael Whaites, Assistant General Secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.
“The Independent Education Union NSW/ACT Branch condemns today’s decision handed down by the Native Title Tribunal. The Native Tribunal originally received 23,700 submissions against Santos’s gas mining project and a mere 300 in favour. The IEU acknowledges the tenacity and courage of the Gomeroi in their David and Goliath struggle against Santos. We recommit to supporting the Gomeroi against Santos’ plans to inflict environmental and cultural vandalism on the Pilliga,” echoed David Towson, Deputy Secretary of the IEUA NSW/ACT Branch.
“The ETU NSW/ACT is disappointed in the Tribunal’s decision not to uphold the Native Title rights of the Gomeroi people in the Narrabri region or the historic precedent to consider climate change as part of project approvals. This disgraceful decision to side with deep-pocketed fossil fuel company Santos will undermine First Nation land rights and will give less job security and certainty to workers involved in nearby renewable energy zone projects. Renewable energy projects in the region are already set to create over 13,000 local jobs, Santos’ coal seam gas project will undermine the skills & supply chain pipeline needed to make that happen. The ETU is proud to stand in solidarity with Gomeroi people and will continue its support of initiatives to advance First Nations communities through the energy transition, especially through the Renewable Energy Sector Board & First Nations Clean Energy Strategy,” said Allen Hicks, Secretary of ETU NSW.
“This is a catastrophic failure of justice for the Gomeroi people. State and Federal Governments could have ended this travesty years ago but have instead decided to side with a multinational behemoth over our own First Nations community. If the Government doesn’t take action to fix this, then the Union movement will. We will do what we have to in order to stop this project. Make no mistake, we will not stand by while faceless multinational corporations trash cultural and natural heritage” said Paul Keating, Sydney Branch Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia.
Contact details:
For background: Peggy Smith 0474 209 443
For comment: Vanessa Seagrove 0408 967 526
