[Onthebarricades] Kimberley gas protest

[Andy]

Conservationists protest Kimberley gas plant
Activists have converged on a drilling rig off the Western Australian coast to protest against plans to build a major gas plant.

The protesters say a Japanese project will destroy one of the world's last wilderness areas.

Arriving in boats and seaplanes, the activists hung banners on a drilling rig at the Maret Islands, north-east of Broome. 

Japanese company Inpex is using the rig to assess the area for a liquefied natural gas plant to service one of Australia's biggest reserves, the Browse Basin.

The conservationists and tour operators travelled hundreds of kilometres to highlight their concerns.

Protester and conservationist Malcolm Douglas told the crowd the plant would destroy one of the world's last great wilderness areas.

"We've come to the Maret Islands to protest because we've got the beginning of industrialisation of the Kimberley," he said.

"If they were doing this at Uluru, if they were doing this off the Great Barrier Reef, the whole of the east coast of Australia would know what's going on," he said.

Neither the Western Australian Government nor the Commonwealth, who have been asked to approve the project, would comment.

Inpex also declined to be interviewed but it labelled the protesters' claims as "scaremongering" in a statement.

The island's native title claimants earlier announced they were willing to negotiate a deal with the company.

Lyndon Schneiders
Queensland Campaign Manager
The Wilderness Society
136 Boundary Road
WEST END Q 4101
073 844 6499 wk
0407 667 076 m
cape.york at wilderness.org.au

 

 

 

 

Lucinda Douglass

Community Campaigner (Brisbane) and 

Northern Australia Working Group COnvenor 

 

The Wilderness Society (QLD)

Ph: (07) 3846 1420, (mob) 0425 266 926

Fx: (07) 3846 1620

Address: PO Box 5427

              2/136 Boundary St (up stairs from St Vinnies)

              West End, 4101 

mailto: lucinda.douglass at wilderness.org.au 

Website: www.wilderness.org.au

 

 

Protecting, Promoting and Restoring Australian Wilderness - For Life on Earth

You can help - Call 1800 030 641 today!

 

 



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