Aboriginal Affairs & Heritage

Friday, 29 August

Greens Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Robin Chapple MLC has joined calls for a public inquiry into the death in custody of 22-year old Yamatji woman Julieka Dhu.

Ms Dhu was arrested on August 2 for unpaid fines and transferred to the South Hedland watch-house where despite vomiting, worsening pain and two hospital visits she remained incarcerated for more than two days until she was taken to Hedland Health Campus for a third time and pronounced dead on August 4.

Mr Chapple said the government should be doing everything in their power to figure out why this tragedy happened, and why similar tragedies continue to happen across our state.

“My deepest condolences go out to the family of Julieka Dhu, and the greater Yamatji community, for this heartbreaking loss,” he said.

“The account given by Ms Dhu’s partner in the days leading up to her death is simply horrifying; the police officers and medical staff involved have a lot to answer for.

“Whatever happened to duty of care? Primarily both of these services exist in the interest of public safety so clearly there is a very serious flaw in the system.”

Mr Chapple said a public inquiry was only the first step in resolving a long-standing, and deepening, mistrust between Aboriginal communities and state services.

“Now, more than ever, we need to make sure that this sort of thing never happens again,” he said.

“We need to take another serious look at those recommendations that have come out of other incidents such as this, especially the death of John Pat 30 years ago in Roebourne at the hands of five officers and more recently the tragic death of Mr Ward in the back of a prison van.

“More importantly, we actually need to implement a significant number of these recommendations and get some change happening in the way we treat Aboriginal people in this state.

“Incarcerating Aboriginal people, and indeed anyone, for such minor offences as an unpaid fine solves absolutely nothing, and generally costs more than the fine itself is worth; it should be a last resort option.”

For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255.

Thursday 31 July 2014           

Greens member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Robin Chapple MLC said he tentatively supports the government’s ‘Irrigation Vision’ for the West Kimberley but would like to see more research into the environmental consequences of the scheme.

Stage one of the program will see more than $15 million invested in irrigation infrastructure east of Derby including almost $5 million at Mowanjum Station to grow irrigated fodder crops in support of the community’s pastoral aspirations.

But Mr Chapple said he was concerned high-intensity irrigation projects would have significant and detrimental flow-on effects for the Kimberley’s water cycle.

“The claim that wet season floods are ‘wasted’ is a total myth,” he said.

“Pumping water from the river valley floodplains may endanger the deep refuge pools that rely on floodplain groundwater to survive the dry season.

“These pools are critical for species such as Barramundi, Black Bream and freshwater prawns, allowing them to complete their life cycles and harbour juveniles.

“Harvesting what appears to be excess water in the Kimberley for agricultural production could ultimately be a trade-off with the health of the Kimberley’s river and groundwater systems.”

These views have been echoed in a new Kimberley based study by the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge research hub (TRaCK).

Mr Chapple said he would like to see more in-depth research done into the environmental impact of the proposed irrigation schemes but is not entirely opposed to the idea.

“This project could be great for supporting the independence of Mowanjum Aboriginal Corporation and other remote communities and traditional land-owners,” he said.

“But, any financial benefit to these communities must be matched by a commitment to protect the significant biodiversity and astounding natural beauty of their lands.”

For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255.

Greens Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Robin Chapple MLC, says that the changes to the Aboriginal Heritage Act, proposed by the Barnett Government, will neither improve protection for Aboriginal heritage places nor adequately involve Aboriginal people in the process. 

“At the end of the day, protection of Aboriginal heritage is what the Act is about but the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Hon. Peter Collier have failed to deliver their oft-repeated promises: that the amendments would give Aboriginal people a stronger voice in respect of heritage protection.

“What the Bill provides for is the transfer of most of the Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee’s functions to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs’ Chief Executive Officer, thereby stripping away their fundamental rights to speak for heritage’ Mr Chapple said.  

“The government has left substantial matters to Regulations, such as what the CEO will and will not consider and the information required before deciding what is left on or taken off the register.

“It is a great pity that the government has not provided draft Regulations along with the draft Bill.  Without draft Regulations, the government’s proposal is incomplete in important respects, and it is therefore unable to be fairly assessment.

“It is disappointing that the Bill omits all of the points that have been repeatedly raised in previous reports on the Act as well as in the 2012 round of submissions; all of which aimed to improve protection for Aboriginal heritage sites and the involvement of Aboriginal people in that process.

“The Greens will not support the Bill in its current form. I urge the community to write a submission on this appalling piece of legislation to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs before 6 August 2014, added Mr Chapple.

For further information go to http://www.robinchapple.com/AHA

For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255

17^th July 2014

World Heritage nomination of Murujuga - the Burrup Peninsula and Dampier Archipelago - is long overdue, and should be made a priority by the state and federal governments, according to Greens Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Robin Chapple.

Mr Chapple said it was ridiculous that neither government had taken the lead on protecting Murujuga, the significance of which has been widely acknowledged.

“We have this situation at the moment that is essentially a deliberate stalemate,” he said.

 “The federal Minister for the Environment is calling on our Premier to take a stand, who in turn is stating it is not within his power to do so.

“Whilst in opposition Colin Barnett called Murujuga ‘the most significant heritage and anthropological site in Australia’ yet his government continues to approve, and encourage, industrial development there.

“Again, by the Premier’s own admission, as much as 20 to 25 per cent of rock art in Murujuga has already, regrettably, been destroyed by industrial interference.

“I appeal to the Premier to stop this continued vandalism once and for all, and give the Burrup Peninsula the protection it deserves.”

The Murujuga National Park, announced in January last year, was a significant step towards ensuring the protection of the Burrup Peninsula and Dampier Archipelago but at just 49.3 square kilometres it covers only 44% of the Burrup’s total area.

Mr Chapple said the government was using the successful creation of Murujuga National Park to cover up its intentions for the rest of the archipelago.

“Whilst I applaud the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation on their cooperation with the government in ensuring the protection offered by national park status, it is a great shame that the government won’t increase its protection to the archipelago in its entirety.”

For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255