Under cross-examination, Federal Environment Minister, Sussan Ley made two major admissions on ABC Radio National last Friday over the destruction of the two ancient Aboriginal rock shelters at Juukan Gorge. The shelters had been inhabited for 46,000 years, and now will become bits of iron and steel.
She admitted that her office had been in contact about the proposed destruction with Rio Tinto in the days before the blast; and the local Aboriginal groups, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama people and the Pinikura (PKKP) had also contacted her office, but their call was not returned by her busy office.
Ms Ley was insistent that it was already too late to do anything to prevent the destruction, because the charges had already been laid.
The notion of explosive charges that cannot be de-activated and removed is one on which it seems appropriate to get a more expert opinion than Ms Ley’s. Like Rio’s CEO, Jean-Sébastien Jacques she must exit her role if the advice turns out to be different to what she insisted to Radio National.
Lawyer, formerly senior federal public servant (CEO Constitutional Commission, CEO Law Reform Commission, Department of PM&C, Protective Security Review and first Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security; High Court Associate (1971) ; partner of major law firms. Awarded Premier’s Award (2018) and Law Institute of Victoria’s President’s Award for pro bono work (2005).
Comments
6 responses to “Juukan Gorge – the thick plotens”
Why are there no pictures of the alledged significant artifacts made available.
Is it because there was nothing of any significance in that rock shelter ???
Not one photo has been made available for the public this raises the question why ??
It was just one of thousands of caves and rock overhangs in that area nothing special.
Two archeological digs had turned up nothing interesting.
The alleged importance is what is really being blown up….out of all proportion.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Hamersley-Range-area-with-sites-discussed_fig1_260741424
there’s a start for you – that was less than 4 seconds of looking.
“Why are there no pictures of the alledged significant artifacts made available.”
Maybe try opening your eyes when you look? ;D
Colonisation offered the original inhabitants of this continent murder, torture, rape, abuse, enslavement, disease plus removal of environment, culture and spiritual beliefs. The deep attachment to, plus the importance of the environment and all its systems could never be understood by a person with predominantly material goals. When the full influence of big business on policy/regulation, media and education is understood it becomes clear why this happened and “nothing could be done.”
Hahaha
Your reply is nothing but the usual deflections and subterfuge not in any way relevant to the topic.
Barking the over used dogmatic indoctrination without any relevance to what has happened.
What has “colonialism” got to do with mining operations in the 21st century ??
No one got murdered raped abused enslaved or diseased.
There was nobody practicing any spiritual or cultural rite.
The people no longer gather or hunt for subsistance on the environment.
The media has delibrately misrepresented this case and big business has been quick to jump on the moral bandwagon and criticize Rio Tin to.
Our education system offers a massively disproportionate amount of opportunity and education bias to indigenous people and their culture.
Of course, “nothing could be done”. After all, “shareholder value” is the white man’s dreaming.
Due high levels of incompetence, the Farrer Flyer has already swapped portfolios, with Greg Hunt. If they could be sacked merely for porkies, Morrison would have to be the first to go.
She has been sacked once, surely this present obfuscation would qualify her for a repeat of that ignominy!