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Key Details
- Murujuga, located on a peninsula in north-western Australia near Karratha, hosts the largest collection of rock art engravings globally.
- Recently, Environment Minister Murray Watt provisionally approved an expansion of a nearby gas and oil development.
- There are concerns that the project could significantly harm the Aboriginal rock art engravings.
The area also accommodates two gas plants, a fertilizer facility, and export terminals for iron ore and salt. In May, Watt gave conditional green light to extend the operations of the oil and gas company Woodside’s North West Shelf project until 2070.
There are concerns that the project’s continuation and subsequent pollution will cause significant damage to Indigenous rock art in the area.
‘Industry can coexist with rock art’, Watt says
“No, it won’t apply to any decisions that are currently underway or that have happened previously”, Watt told ABC’s RN Breakfast radio program.
Murujuga contains the world’s largest collection of rock art engravings, known as petroglyphs. Source: Supplied / Save Our Songlines
The environment minister said the decision meant any future development in the precinct would need to comply with World Heritage rules. He also said that it was clear “industry can coexist with rock art”.
Prior to the listing, Watt visited UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, stating it would secure enhanced legal safeguards for the over one million pieces of rock art.
The organization had proposed that the World Heritage designation be postponed until Australia outlines its strategy to remove “detrimental acidic emissions currently impacting the petroglyphs”.
There are concerns that nearby acid emissions are degrading the rock art at Murujuga. Source: Supplied / Save Our Songlines
The government responded by saying the recommendation was driven by “factual inaccuracies”, and successfully argued concerns would be met and that Murujuga should be heritage-listed immediately.
“Today, Australia rewrote the World Heritage listing in the interests of the gas industry,” she said.
Shortly after Watt granted provisional approval to the North West Shelf extension, Cooper launched legal action to try and protect the site.
Mardathoonera woman and Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper said Australia had rewritten the World Heritage listing in the interests of the gas industry. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
The Greens welcomed Murujuga’s World Heritage listing on Friday but warned that the world was watching and urged Watt to reconsider the draft approval.
MAC chair Peter Hicks said on Friday it had been an “Indigenous-led process” in partnership with state and federal governments, thanking them for undertaking their roles “without undermining Indigenous decision-making within the process”.
