Antinuclear

• The decision, as predicted in The Australian last Thursday, sparked nationwide indignation, with critics accusing Premier Colin Barnett of taking Aborigines back to colonial days and “sticking a finger in their eye” to do the bidding of Woodside.
• Woodside land move to be felt ‘around world’ | The Australian,Amanda O’Brien September 03, 2010

The threat came after the West Australian government yesterday began compulsory acquisition of land north of Broome to help kick-start Woodside’s $30 billion gas project.

The decision, as predicted in The Australian last Thursday, sparked nationwide indignation, with critics accusing Premier Colin Barnett of taking Aborigines back to colonial days and “sticking a finger in their eye” to do the bidding of Woodside.

Kimberley Land Council chief Wayne Bergmann, who led the negotiations on behalf of traditional owners, said the Premier had broken the integrity of everything they had done. “This is outrageous. This only provides certainty for a rich mining company to make billions of dollars for their shareholders,” he said.

I’ve been talking to a whole range of Aboriginal people around Australia, I’ve been talking to a whole range of unions who battled on the ground in Noonkanbah. I think the tension levels are rising well beyond any expectations.”

The Noonkanbah dispute grew from a decision by then premier Charles Court in the 1970s to allow drilling for oil on sacred sites on a Kimberley station. It culminated in violent clashes between hundreds of police and protesters.

A string of high-profile celebrities were also preparing for battle yesterday, with award-winning musician John Butler telling The Australian the decision was shocking and would reverberate around the world. “Some things are worth more than money,” Butler said. “This is our land and our culture, this is one of the most pristine places in the world.”