Not in Kakadu, not anywhere!
By Andrew Gough
KAKADU — The November 5 "open day" at the Ranger uranium mine was met with an emotional, non-violent protest against the approval by the federal government of a new uranium mine at nearby Jabiluka.
The mine will be within the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park. The Mirrar people, the traditional owners of the mine site, joined with protesters representing a number of environmental groups, many of whom had travelled 300 kilometres from Darwin to attend.
At first light, protesters liaised with Jacqui Katona, spokesperson for the Mirrar, then moved to the Ranger mine gates to blockade the invitation-only open day for shareholders and industry representatives. Another group, decked out in "rad-suits", went to the Crocodile Hotel to usher the invited guests into their tour buses. Forewarned of the protest by radio, buses took a back entrance to the mine.
Mirrar elder Yvonne Margarula invited the protesters to join her in crossing into the mine site, only to be confronted by police. Katona demanded to speak with Energy Resources Australia management to voice the Mirrar people's objections to the mining of uranium on their land and its detrimental effects on their culture.
A dispute ensued over the right of the Mirrar to have access to the site. The legalities of the situation were at best uncertain, police superintendent Gary Smith admitted. The police nevertheless refused the protesters entry to the mine site.
Protesters agreed not to proceed further on the condition that an ERA spokesperson came out to discuss the issue with them. Traditional dances and ceremonies took place within the grounds of the mine as the group waited.
Katona, Jayne Weepers from the NT Environment Centre and Senator Bob Brown addressed the crowd and media, eloquently and passionately expressing the injustices of the mineral lease and the hazards to health and the environment caused by the mining of uranium.
Brown criticised the federal government's approval of the Jabiluka mine and cited the success of the Franklin dam campaign as an example of the Australian people's commitment to the preservation of the environment. He proposed a similar response the mine at Jabiluka.
ERA management did not appear. With a simulated "radiation leak", protesters evacuated the site.
A Federal Court challenge by the Mirrar to the validity of the mineral lease will be heard mid-December in Sydney and a blockade of any construction at Jabiluka will take place early next year.