Take a moment to imagine a cultural icon six times older than the Pyramids, eight times older than Stonehenge.
Imagine probably the earliest surviving rock carvings on this planet: close to a million images of ancient faces and the earliest Australian fauna, including the mighty Tasmanian tiger, spread throughout a group of small islands alongside the west coast of Australia.
This world treasure is in danger of being destroyed by industrial development.
Imagine probably the earliest surviving rock carvings on this planet: close to a million images of ancient faces and the earliest Australian fauna, including the mighty Tasmanian tiger, spread throughout a group of small islands alongside the west coast of Australia.
This world treasure is in danger of being destroyed by industrial development.
Most Australians have never even heard of these rock carvings on the Burrup Peninsula - and have no idea this silent treasure is at risk of being needlessly pulled apart and destroyed from blind industrial development.
But Australians and people round the world who care about its heritage can now tell Australia's environment minister that they want to save the remaining rock art from further destruction, and help Burrup become what it should be: one of the world's best-known and safely-visited heritage sites.
GetUp, an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group is running a website, from where your submission is sent directly to the Federal Environment Minister, the Western Australian premier, the WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister, the Australian Heritage Council and the Woodside company threatening the site:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveOurHeritage.asp?campaign_id=61.
Burrup, or Murrijuga by its Indigenous name, also happens to be the site of a liquefied natural gas plant (LNG), an operation jointly owned by the largest petrochemical companies in the world and managed by Woodside Energy Ltd. It's a 20 billion Australian dollar venture, which currently provides almost two-thirds of WA's gas supply and export.
But Woodside now has plans to expand on their own, with a new LNG facility set to cut straight through this prehistoric university.
At least 10,000 rock carvings have already been lost from uncontrolled development. New industrial plans could lead to the loss of thousands more, with federal and state government authorities admitting up to 40 per cent of the rock art could be dismantled or destroyed to
accommodate expansion.
It's like splitting Stonehenge or the Pyramids in half, drilling for oil and packing the nicest bits in a nearby quarry.
The truth is, it doesn’t have to be a choice between destruction or development.
Experts agree new gas can still be extracted offshore, but processed at a different location. If enough protesters speak up now, the remaining rock art can be saved without dampening the economic development of Western Australia's growing industry.
Thankfully, Australia's Federal Minister for Environment and Heritage, Ian Campbell, is now calling for public submissions on whether to grant the Burrup Peninsula national heritage-listing status.
This would immediately open the way for a world heritage listing - the World Monument Fund has placed the rock art on its list of 100 most endangered heritage sites.
But because so few Australians have ever heard of Burrup, much less Senator Campbell's timely call for submissions, it could be destroyed before the world ever gets the opportunity to appreciate it.
Now advocates of a 'win-win' solution for Burrup and the Western Australian economy include the most unlikely allies: a former Labor Premier of WA and a former Liberal Minister for State Development both argue Burrup should become a heritage site, with further development moved to more economically profitable locations and traditional custodians consulted.
We have a once in a generation opportunity to rise above old, unimaginative thinking to save an Australian and world heritage treasure.
Submissions are due in a matter of days: this is the moment we can give Australia's richest, unknown island the chance for a different future. Join GetUp’s submission or write your own from the site.
PS: Recently GetUp members flexed their muscles on behalf of David Hicks, an Australian held for four years without charge in Guantanamo and abandoned by the Australian government. People contributed to a campaign to publish billboards about the case. GetUp are booking their first people-powered billboards right now in Adelaide and Sydney.
GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues.
But Australians and people round the world who care about its heritage can now tell Australia's environment minister that they want to save the remaining rock art from further destruction, and help Burrup become what it should be: one of the world's best-known and safely-visited heritage sites.
GetUp, an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group is running a website, from where your submission is sent directly to the Federal Environment Minister, the Western Australian premier, the WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister, the Australian Heritage Council and the Woodside company threatening the site:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveOurHeritage.asp?campaign_id=61. Burrup, or Murrijuga by its Indigenous name, also happens to be the site of a liquefied natural gas plant (LNG), an operation jointly owned by the largest petrochemical companies in the world and managed by Woodside Energy Ltd. It's a 20 billion Australian dollar venture, which currently provides almost two-thirds of WA's gas supply and export.
But Woodside now has plans to expand on their own, with a new LNG facility set to cut straight through this prehistoric university.
At least 10,000 rock carvings have already been lost from uncontrolled development. New industrial plans could lead to the loss of thousands more, with federal and state government authorities admitting up to 40 per cent of the rock art could be dismantled or destroyed to
accommodate expansion.
It's like splitting Stonehenge or the Pyramids in half, drilling for oil and packing the nicest bits in a nearby quarry.
The truth is, it doesn’t have to be a choice between destruction or development.
Experts agree new gas can still be extracted offshore, but processed at a different location. If enough protesters speak up now, the remaining rock art can be saved without dampening the economic development of Western Australia's growing industry.
Thankfully, Australia's Federal Minister for Environment and Heritage, Ian Campbell, is now calling for public submissions on whether to grant the Burrup Peninsula national heritage-listing status.
This would immediately open the way for a world heritage listing - the World Monument Fund has placed the rock art on its list of 100 most endangered heritage sites.
But because so few Australians have ever heard of Burrup, much less Senator Campbell's timely call for submissions, it could be destroyed before the world ever gets the opportunity to appreciate it.
Now advocates of a 'win-win' solution for Burrup and the Western Australian economy include the most unlikely allies: a former Labor Premier of WA and a former Liberal Minister for State Development both argue Burrup should become a heritage site, with further development moved to more economically profitable locations and traditional custodians consulted.
We have a once in a generation opportunity to rise above old, unimaginative thinking to save an Australian and world heritage treasure.
Submissions are due in a matter of days: this is the moment we can give Australia's richest, unknown island the chance for a different future. Join GetUp’s submission or write your own from the site.
PS: Recently GetUp members flexed their muscles on behalf of David Hicks, an Australian held for four years without charge in Guantanamo and abandoned by the Australian government. People contributed to a campaign to publish billboards about the case. GetUp are booking their first people-powered billboards right now in Adelaide and Sydney.
GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues.
