Fracking update

The Kimberley is home to unique cultural heritage, biodiversity and landscapes found nowhere else on earth, and these remarkable natural and cultural values remain largely intact. Yet fracking continues to be a highly controversial issue in the region and across Western Australia, posing a serious threat to Country.

Most Kimberley First Nations groups have not endorsed fracking, and the regulatory and safety framework meant to govern the industry in WA is still incomplete, with several key recommendations from the Independent Scientific Panel Inquiry and the WA Government’s Implementation Plan yet to be implemented. In line with the protections already in place across most of the state, the moratorium on fracking in the Kimberley should be reinstated.

Fracking is not a viable option for the health of Country or for the long-term economic future of the region and its people. Economic development, particularly for Aboriginal communities, must shift away from emissions-intensive industries like gas and toward sustainable opportunities.

The Kimberley Indigenous estate - covering more than 95 per cent of the region through native title, Indigenous ownership, management and other special rights - holds enormous potential, but unlocking it requires a coordinated process to map assets and opportunities and to identify Aboriginal people’s priorities for sustainable economic development.

Kimberley PBCs are well placed to lead this work and drive Aboriginal economic empowerment, but they need increased and sustained resourcing to build capacity and fully realise their potential.

WHAT’S THE LATEST?

At the WA Labor State Conference (Fremantle, Nov 8–9), Labor party members voted to extend the fracking ban to cover 100% of Western Australia.

Currently, about 98% of WA is already frack-free, but there are exceptions covering parts of the Kimberley and the Mid West.

For the ban to become law, legislation must be passed by the WA Parliament.

Premier Roger Cook said there’s a need to balance environmental protection with energy access.

Black Mountain Energy is proposing a fracking (gas) project in the West Kimberley, which is being assessed by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

THE KLC IS CALLING ON WA LABOR TO:

Reinstate the moratorium on fracking in the Kimberley, consistent with the position for the majority of WA and reflecting the high level of community concern about the cultural and environmental impacts of fracking.

Commit to developing a Kimberley Aboriginal economic roadmap, jointly with PBCs, other Kimberley Aboriginal stakeholders and the Commonwealth Government, to identify, map and prioritise economic assets and opportunities on the Kimberley Indigenous estate (which covers over 95 per cent of the region).

Establish a First Nations Wealth Fund to provide significant investment in remote and regional communities and a legitimate alternative to fracking and other emissions-intensive industries as a means of economic empowerment. Government must engage in extensive consultation with First Nations people to provide agency to communities in the use of this fund.

Advocate to the Commonwealth for increased baseline funding to PBCs to provide for: adequate full-time staffing; access to appropriate legal and expert advice; increased internal capacity; and resourcing for ongoing active engagement with community and other stakeholders.