Traditional owners seek protection for Jabiluka cultural heritage

Traditional owners are seeking federal protection for their cultural heritage on land containing the Northern Territory’s famous Jabiluka uranium deposit after a resources company defied their wishes by applying to renew a mining lease.

The Rio Tinto-backed Energy Resources Australia (ERA) on Wednesday lodged an application for a 10-year mine lease extension at Jabiluka – an area near the Ranger uranium mine that is surrounded by, but not part of, the Kakadu National Park. The application has inflamed tensions with the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, who represent the Mirarr traditional owners of the former Ranger uranium mine.

Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Thalia van den Boogaard said an application was being prepared to the federal government asking for protection of Jabiluka’s cultural heritage. She called for the Northern Territory government and ERA to support the push.

“If ERA is true to its word about wanting to protect Mirarr’s cultural heritage, we expect it will support protection through the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act [NT] and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act [CTH],” van den Boogaard said.

“ERA says it wants to protect our cultural heritage at Jabiluka, the best way of doing that is to include it in the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park where it belongs.”

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The lease area covers a sacred site with hundreds of ancient rock art galleries.

In a statement this week, ERA said extending its mining rights would give the traditional owners control over the Jabiluka deposit, including the right of veto over any future development. The company has pledged to not mine the deposit as long as traditional owners remain opposed to it.

“If the lease is not renewed, the agreement and development veto lapses,” ERA said. “Without this contractual veto right, there is a risk that Jabiluka could be developed in the future regardless of the Mirarr traditional owner’s position, given the global significance of the deposit and demand for uranium from stable democracies.”