Opposition has grown to the Western Australian state government鈥檚 compulsory seizure of James Price Point, 60km north of Broome, for a $30 billion gas processing project in the Browse Basin. The Kimberly Land Council (KLC), the Greens and the Wilderness Society have all spoken out against the move.
Frank Parriman, the co-chair of the KLC Traditional Owners negotiating committee, accused Woodside, the company that plans to build the project, of orchestrating the takeover.
According to the September 9 West Australian, Parriman said: 鈥淚 believe a lot of this stuff was orchestrated by Woodside 鈥 my anger is at Woodside, more than the Premier. They want this project and are prepared to do anything to get it.鈥
But Parriman didn鈥檛 let Premier Colin Barnett off the hook. He said Barnett 鈥渟hould have had enough courage to stand up to Woodside and say 鈥榶ou do the right thing by Aboriginal people and we鈥檒l be right鈥欌.
鈥淚nstead, he鈥檚 happy to knock down Aboriginal people and he knows he鈥檚 going to get public support, because it鈥檚 easy to knock the old Blackfella down.
鈥淗e鈥檚 prepared to take land from us 鈥 he鈥檚 not prepared to stand up to the company.鈥
Barnett has said the process of taking the land could take 18 months. If the traditional owners, Woodside and the government can鈥檛 produce an Indigenous Land Use Agreement, the matter will go to the Native Title Tribunal
The state government will need federal approval of the environmental and heritage impact assessments.
The Greens have said it will 鈥渕ake life difficult for Barnett鈥, in federal parliament, the September 6 West Australian reported.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 like it鈥, said Greens Senator Rachel Siewert. 鈥淲e will be raising it federally in terms of 鈥 whether the government is giving it tacit support.鈥