Indigenous Australian wins reprieve in major gas pipeline fight
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Fuel producer Santos is planning to lay an underwater pipeline off Australia’s northern coast.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SYDNEY - A major Australian gas export project was temporarily halted on Thursday, after an Indigenous leader raised fears that an underwater pipeline could obliterate areas of cultural significance.
Fuel producer Santos – one of Australia’s largest energy companies – is planning to lay an underwater pipeline off the country’s northern coast, pumping gas from undersea wells back to onshore processing plants.
Tiwi Islands traditional owner Simon Munkara has won a temporary injunction stopping the project, arguing that Santos had not properly considered how the pipeline might damage cherished heritage areas.
The fight will return to court on Nov 13, when a judge will decide if construction can resume, or if the issue warrants further substantial hearings.
“We are serious about protecting our country,” Mr Munkara said in a statement following Thursday’s hearing.
“That is our obligation. I’m doing this for my kids, so that our culture can be passed on to future generations.”
In a statement released to the Australian stock exchange, Santos said it respected “the cultural heritage of the Tiwi people” while insisting there were no significant risks attached to the 260km pipeline.
The proposed pipeline runs close to the Tiwi Islands, a sparsely populated archipelago about 80km off the coast of Darwin in northern Australia.
Indigenous Australians make up about 90 per cent of the 2,000-strong population on the islands, which are known for their distinctive art, language, and love of Australian rules football.
The A$5 billion (S$4.4 billion) Barossa Gas Project has been plagued by delays, as opponents raise concerns about its contribution to climate change, ecological footprint, and impact on areas of cultural significance.
Gas from the offshore Barossa field would be pumped back to Darwin, where it would be processed and loaded onto tankers for export.
The conservation of aboriginal sites has been under intense scrutiny in Australia after mining company Rio Tinto blew up the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters in 2020. REUTERS
