People Planet Peace

Greens Member for Mining and Pastoral, Robin Chapple today blamed Federal Minister for the Environment Peter Garret for failing to protect the Burrup.

"Peter Garrett and his department have clearly failed in their duty to protect the newly listed heritage area of the Dampier Archipelago," said Mr Chapple.

It has become apparent from questions raised with officials from the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) at Senate estimates yesterday that three sites had been destroyed and damaged by blasting and bulldozing in the Dampier National Heritage listed area by Cemex the owners of the Nickol Bay Quarry.

"This is an appalling state of affaires when this is considered one of the world's most important heritage sites, and that the Minister was forewarned of the destruction" Mr Chapple said.

In February 2008 the Federal Minister for the Environment Peter Garret received an EPBC referral from Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA) of the proposed incursion by the Nickol Bay Quarry into the National Heritage listed area covering the Burrup and did nothing. A further letter from FARA raising concern was sent to Minister Garrett in June 2008.

"The rock art cannot be replaced, so the Minister should immediately apologies to the traditional owners and the wider community for failing to do his job in protecting this cultural marvel," said Mr Chapple.

It appears that the Minister's oversight of the proposed impact was so cursory that no action was taken to prevent the damage from occurring when he had clearly been advised of the impending incursion.

In September 2008 the Minister advised FARA that "In relation to the Nickol Bay Quarry mining leases, which partially overlap the national Heritage place, the expansion footprint is not within the place and, on the basis of current information, is unlikely to have impact on the National Heritage values"

It now appears that the destruction may have occurred either before or close to the drafting of the Ministers letter.

"I am also aware of further projects and damage on the Burrup that are receiving little of no evaluation or investigation by either the state or the federal jurisdictions," Mr Chapple concluded.