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

Recently I travelled to the Tiwi Islands to support the traditional owners in their legal battle against NOPSEMA over their failure to identify eight different clan groups as relevant people to consult for the Barossa gas project. From the second I stepped foot on the island it was clear that traditional owners did not want this, one of the dirtiest gas projects in the world, on their country.

Last week we saw the incredible result that the traditional owners were in fact successful as it was found that Santos didn't do their job properly and NOPSEMA approved this project regardless. I want to take this time to congratulate everyone who was involved in this case for their hard work that led to this landmark victory. This was also the result of a group of dedicated people who were sick and tired of seeing fossil fuel companies destroying their country. We know that they're not the only ones. Indeed, right across this country—from Beetaloo, to Scarborough, to Narrabri—traditional owners are crying out for their voices to be heard and their cultural heritage to be respected. This case has put fossil fuel companies on notice and set an example of precedent for other projects. One of the traditional owners that I had the absolute privilege of meeting with, on their trip to Canberra in the last sitting, put it perfectly when she said: 'We are the cultural giants. We are the original people from this land. And we need to be taken seriously.'