Aboriginals fail to halt convoy

Press, 13 August 1980, Page 8

Aboriginals fail to halt convoy

NZPA ■ Perth Twenty-two Aboriginals were . arrested yesterday as they made a final attempt to halt a convoy of trucks carrying oil-rig- equipment from . reaching what the Aboriginals say is a sacred site at Noonkanbah Station in the far north of Western Australia.

About 60 protesters sat down on the road in front of the slow-moving convoy, which ' left Perth at the week-end and was due. to reach Noonkanbah last evening-

Among those arrested were Jim Bieundurry, an Aboriginal leader recently appointed to the Aboriginal Development Commission by t' o Federal Government and five Uniting Church ministers. The arrests follow 14 others made on Monday as the convoy travelled north and 18 in Perth at;.the offices of Amax ‘Exploration, the American-based company making the exploration. The. ■ .confrontation Abegan when Amax, one;bf 30 companies hunting oil, bauxite, iron, and diamonds' nvi the region, attempted several months ago to look fdri'oiliih the dry,' rocky scrubland at Noonkanbah. , Local tribesmen ordered the crews .'off after a night-long ritual of chanting and dancing. The workers left-.. ; even - ithpugh

they had permission from the state government, which told them to go back and finish the job. .

In a letter to state author* ities, tribal leaders said last month: “If you force the' mining, you will be placing the people of Noonkanbah and the people on the rig in great jeopardy.

“We do not know if we can protect the lives of our people or the men oh the rig. 'We are frightened.” This was the first hint that the normally non-vio-lent Aboriginals might use force to protect the sites central to their way of life arid scattered throughout the resource-rich north-west corner of Australia. f

Few people, close to the Aboriginals believe if will come to a violent eon* frontation. The tribesmen are turning to the courts for support, as well as . feeling the first-stirrings of political r power after decades of inaction. r i ■

The Prime Minister (Mr Malcojm Fraser) told' Abori<, ginal -leaders iduring.,a visit; earlier this year-, that their sacred; sjtes. .should be protected, but added: “Australia is short of • oil. The, drilling;' that is intended to take place at Noonkanbah is . , an '■ ' important .i ? national objective for all Australians,, including, the Aboriginal people.”-/-