Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The following statement is from Antonia Burke, a traditional owner from the Tiwi Islands:

Since we found out about Santos's Barossa Gas Project and how it extends to Darwin's Middle Arm and Bayu Undan in Timor waters, it has been an absolute nightmare watching how traditional owners are treated by this system.

The scariest thing is that the people we vote to run this country are the ones condoning it.

Traditional owners don't find out about what's happening in their backyards until after the leases are sold off, the sea has been blasted by seismic testing, appraisal wells are drilled, environmental plans are already approved by NOPSEMA for fossil fuel companies like Santos and Woodside, banks and super funds have already signed off multibillion dollar loans and investments.

In our experience, the consultation process has been absolutely atrocious, negligent and disrespectful. And when we voice our concern to our own Chief Minister and other MPs we get bullied and told we are trolls and are puppets for the environmental movement. It's outright patronising.

Anthropologists are paid to lie and omit the truth about Indigenous Cultural Heritage. They completely ignore and contradict what we say and write reports to say "nothing to see here, no cultural heritage exists", even when we say we have burial grounds, sacred sites and a culture to protect.

I've witnessed firsthand all of the work getting dumped on traditional owners to keep Santos and others, like Woodside, accountable to the law and the regulations. Why are we responsible for doing the government's job?

We have human rights, and these rights are being ignored by the government, banks and super funds, international investors and fossil fuel companies destroying our homes and our rights to protect our ancient cultural practices, beliefs and songlines.

In this place we should do better.