(Tom: I know the Voice proposed legislation is done and dusted but the government are deviously working to implement the concept in more surreptitios means. Just came across an email from two years ago which slapped my in the face, as the saying goes, like a wet fish, illustrating the utter hypocrisy of government in creating a problem then proposing a solution far worse than the problem they created.)
I want to tell you about Kimba. You might not know much about it, it is right in the middle of our traditional Country, where the deserts meet the plains and the sea and if you stop at a certain point on the highway you’ll see a giant, 8-metre statue of a galah, marking the halfway point between the east and west coasts of Australia. We might be small, but we are an important part of the beautiful Eyre Peninsula, Country that belongs to us – the Barngarla people.
We are the Native Title holders of this magical place. We fought for over 20 years in the Federal Court to have this title restored. This is our Country.
But federal Resources Minister Keith Pitt will soon sign off on the development of a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility (NRWMF) right here, in Kimba. On our Country.
Recently, there was an official ballot where members of the community were asked how they felt about the proposed nuclear dump.
The Government used this ballot to get an idea of the public support for this area. And we weren’t even asked or allowed to vote. Can you imagine that? Us as the First Peoples for the area being excluded from a vote on our Country, which has been our Country since forever.
But when we – the Traditional Owners – unanimously opposed the decision in our own separate vote, the Federal Government decided to do something about it. They excluded our vote. The Barngarla people were no longer being heard.
What did this mean for the vote? It was flipped. When our voices are included public support is less than 50% (if all eligible Barngarla voters were included in the official ballot then only 43.7% of the eligible voters voted yes), which isn’t what our Government wants to hear. When we’re taken out, the Government gets the community’s approval.
This is unfair. The idea that Indigenous People should not get the right to vote has no place in the 21st Century. This is not right.
Our Country is at risk of becoming a dumping site for the nation’s nuclear waste. Our communities, farm lands, culture and our livelihood, our storylines and our traditional heritage sites are threatened. And no one in Government wants to listen.
But you can help. We’ve got a plan to fight back, but we need your financial support. Your donation will help us continue our efforts, including by challenging the radioactive waste plan in the Federal Court. You’ll be a partner in helping us challenge this decision. With your help, we think we might just have a chance.
We can’t do this without your financial support. With your help, we have a fighting chance to save this Country – our Country.
Jason & Auntie Dawn
Jason Bilney & Auntie Dawn Taylor
Chairperson and Director & Elder, the Barngarla People
Barngarla: Help Us Have a Say on Kimba Pty Ltd
Phone: 0488 122 070
Address: Level 11/431 King William St, Adelaide SA 5000
Australian Conservation Foundation
We are Australia’s national environment organisation. We speak out, show up and act for a world where forests, rivers, people and wildlife thrive. We are proudly independent and funded by donations from our community.