The Kimberley Land Council has released its shortlist of potential site suitable for the development of a liquified natural gas hub with the government's Northern Development Taskforce to release its shortlist after the election result is known.
The Kimberley Land Council has released its shortlist of potential site suitable for the development of a liquified natural gas hub with the government's Northern Development Taskforce to release its shortlist after the election result is known.
The four potential areas that Traditional Owners are willing to consider are Gourdon Bay, James Price Point, North Head and Anjo Peninsula.
The shortlist comes as speculation mounts that Japanese company Inpex may have chosen Darwin over Western Australia to host its $12 billion LNG plant, with the company already starting its second drill program in the Darwin Harbour.
The company is also considering the Maret Islands in WA, off the Kimberley coast.
The Northern Development Taskforce is considering nine sites for an LNG processing hub in the Kimberley region.
Below is the full announcement from the Kimberley Land Council:
Kimberley Traditional Owners have announced a shortlist of potential sites suitable for development of a gas hub providing conditions regarding lasting economic benefits and cultural and environmental protections are guaranteed.
An exhaustive consultation process with 14 different Native Title groups has produced a list of four potential areas that Traditional Owners are willing to consider for further consultation regarding gas development.
They are: Gourdon Bay, instructed by the Karajarri Claimants; James Price Point, instructed by the Jabirr Jabirr Claimants; North Head, instructed by the Nyul Nyul Claimants; and Anjo Peninsula, instructed by the Uunguu Claimants.
Kimberley Land Council Executive Director Wayne Bergmann said that ensuring Traditional Owners control where and how gas development proceeds is the best way to make sure the resource boom benefits the broader community.
"The Kimberley Land Council has conducted a huge consultation process to ensure Traditional Owners are in a position to make a free, prior and informed decision about gas development.
"This process is well underway and if let run will deliver a timely, commercially viable and equitable outcome for resource companies and the community.
"We have set international benchmarks here in the Kimberley and we can't let political uncertainties derail the process.
"Traditional Owners in these four areas are saying they are prepared to continue the consultation process towards choosing a final location for development.
"But that process is dependent on Government and resource companies providing us with information and meeting conditions to ensure communities will gain long term benefits from development.
"That will mean more than a one-off compensation deal. It will mean ongoing economic benefits and continuing control by Traditional Owners of how development will proceed.
"Ensuring world's best practice to protect environment and cultural heritage will be critical. This has been a very difficult process for Traditional Owners who know better than anyone what is at stake in terms of the Kimberley's unique values.
"West Australian's don't want development for development's sake - they want the resource boom to bring improvements.
"Kimberly Traditional Owners are determined this development brings benefits for the entire region. They are considering how they can change the lives for people not only today but in a generation's time.
"Traditional Owners and the Kimberley Land Council are on time in all aspects of this process. The next steps of narrowing down this short list to a site where a development can definitely go ahead will be dependent on Government and industry providing Traditional Owners with all the information they need to grant free, prior and informed consent."
