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Future of rock to become 'global issue'

8 August 2006 - The possible destruction of part of a massive Aboriginal rock art site in Western Australia for a major gas facility was set to become an international issue, Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said.

burrup rock art photo courtesy FARA

Up to one million pieces of rock art, or petroglyphs, lie in the way of plans for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on the Burrup Peninsula in north-west WA.

Senator Brown, who recently visited the site and reported seeing some of the petroglyphs being bulldozed, appealed to Heritage Minister Ian Campbell to act immediately to protect the site.

He said the WA Labor government planned to allow developer Woodside to destroy 40 per cent of the artworks.

This equated to allowing 40 per cent destruction of Stonehenge in Britain or one of the three biggest pyramids in Egypt.

"This is destined to become not just a local issue, but a national issue and an international issue," Senator Brown told parliament.

"What would be say if we heard that the Blair government in Britain was to say of Stonehenge, which is a much newer site than Burrup, 'well, we'll keep 60 per cent of it, you can knock off the right-hand 40 per cent'.

"This is what the Carpenter government is saying about Burrup - they're going to protect about 60 per cent (and) allow 40 per cent to be destroyed."

Senator Brown said there were options available for Woodside's development which did not mean destruction of the artworks.

"The Howard government will have to make this decision if the WA government is not good enough to," he said.

Source: The Age

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