#Roj Amedi

[assemblepapers-blog]

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Adani’s proposed Carmichael coal mine poses not just a unconscionable impact on the environment, but to the traditional owners of the land. Taking the fight to the fossil fuel industry at just 22-years of age, Murrawah Maroochy Johnson of the Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) Traditional Owners Family Council has been a resolute opponent, spreading the message against the coal mine throughout Australia and overseas.

Much of the future of the Adani project rests on a complex and constraining piece of legislation called the Native Title Act (NTA). Originally brought into law in 1993 following the landmark Eddie Mabo case, in which the premise of terra nullius (literally ‘nobody’s land’) was overturned, the NTA was initially intended to make it possible for traditional owners to protect sacred land and challenge developments. But a September 1998 amendment weakened the legislation considerably – in particular, the addition of the ‘Right to Negotiate’ subsection– which Murrawah suggests forces traditional land owners into conceding many unjust issues.

“I would argue that [the Right to Negotiate] occurs with Aboriginal people under duress. Because what happens is that if you don’t negotiate, if you refuse to meet and if you don’t consult? These developers will just go for compulsory acquisition anyway. There’s little chance for compensation, and there’s no chance for Aboriginal people to have any say over what happens to their Country,” says Murrawah.

After travelling to North America, Europe and Asia to meet with numerous bank executives, Murrawah and the W&J Traditional Family Owners Council have to date successfully blocked lending to Adani for the establishment of the coal mine. While other environmental groups have aligned themselves against the project, Murrawah believes the so-called 'black–green alliance' is inherently paternalistic, adding that the W&J’s campaign must continue its independence if their lands are to be saved from destruction.

"Those in charge of environmental NGOs assume that if they care about the environment and I am Aboriginal that we should go together. But I argue that if you struggle with white supremacy, the patriarchy and homophobia but are anti-Indigenous or anti-black, then no, we don’t go together.”

Photos: Wangan & Jagalingou Traditional Owners Family Council.

[textaqueen]

This Sunday May 6, I’m on a panel at ACMI as part of the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival with Dawn Dangkomen, Roj Amedi, Torika Bolatagici, and Olivia Guntarik. ‘In the wake of the #MeToo social media campaign and revived discussions on feminism, where does this leave gender equality in Australia today? How do we now strategically mobilise beyond online discussions to build sustainable movements and alternative institutions?’ HRAFF Talks: Where to From #MeToo? Studio 1, ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne-Narrm 1-2pm, $13 conc $15 full #nonwhitefeminism (at ACMI)

[wolkovitzky]

tfw you ask your mum for a traditional recipe pic.twitter.com/xxWhIlegt7

— Roj Amedi (@Roj_Ame) September 3, 2020

from Twitter https://twitter.com/wolkovitzky September 04, 2020 at 05:18PM via IFTTT