Former Federal Court judge Murray Wilcox QC.
Called, ‘The Case Against The Gas Plant’, the book is about the proposed development of a massive LNG gas plant which would use a site near Broome as its preferred processing location instead of piping to the already industrialised region of the Pilbara.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the Browse Basin joint-venture will be worth $50 billion to the national economy but there is a dispute among Western Australian Indigenous communities over support for the project.
Launching the book in Sydney recently Judge Wilcox says Aboriginal people are being treated unfairly.
“It’s a funny situation isn’t it, that Aboriginal people are expected to give up their cultural heritage for the sake of basic rights such as education and health. That isn’t a rule that is applied to the rest of the population,” he said. “I don’t see why it should be applied to Aboriginal people.”
Judge Wilcox has the support Goolarabooloo lawman Joseph Roe who said the proposal poses a threat to Indigenous culture.
He says he is prepared to do what is needed to stop it. “There is people there still looking after the country in a very strong way,” said Roe. “There is still people using it today for sustenance fishing, hunting, camping, all that stuff.
“The Joint Venture partners Woodside, Chevron, BP, BHP Billiton and Royal Dutch Shell will spend more than $1.2 billion before making a final investment decision, which is not expected before 2012. We believe that money would be better spent on the Pipeline option.
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