Jabiluka: The Aboriginal Swindle - 40 min doc

December 1997
The lure of Uranium has proved irresistible to successive Australian governments and Australia's Environment Minister has dismissed the Mirrar people's objections to the Jabiluka mine. This lucrative project could sever the Mirrar people's spiritual links with the earth and the sights of sacred significance throughout the valley. "I was born in the bush" Yvonne Margarula tells us, "sleeping on the ground with the fire". Twice Academy Award nominated director, David Bradbury, explores the effects of this cultural devastation on the lives of a people and a land inextricably joined.Rare archive footage shows how Yvonne's father and his people were bullied into giving their legal consent to a lease over Jabiluka. The traditional landowners were encouraged to consider not just their own wishes but that of Australian progress as a whole. But they thought they were negotiating for a land claim, not another uranium mine. Yvonne's father Toby was weakened by stress and spent most of the fateful meeting lying down. His sigh "I'm tired now, I can't fight any more" was taken as all the consent needed for the mine to go ahead. He received a silver plated pen for his trouble.Today, Yvonne continues his struggle. The issue of land rights is clearer to her: "We know we own the country." But the question remains, what are land rights worth when the Mirrar people are powerless to stop the destruction of cultural tradition? They have gained little from the development of their country, despite promises from the mining company. They receive 4.2% of gross sales from another mine, Ranger, but bureaucracy eats up most of that budget and basic services are conspicuously lacking. Today, Aborigines suffer from rampant alcoholism, a symptom of powerlessness. They receive an annual payment of $400 as a royalty for the lease for the Jabiluka mine, but now they want to give that money back to the mining company and to annul the old agreement.If Jabiluka goes ahead, it will be below the floodplain in a tropical wetland, and the fear is that radioactive deposits may be carried far with the rains. The land is a World Heritage sight, attracting 300,000 tourists a year. The Jabiluka mine project has been condemned by scientists and environmentalists, yet Energy Resources asserts that the risks of radiation are "absolutely negligible". "We do not add any radiation to what's already there naturally," he adds. But contaminated water supplies may be causing birth defects in Aboriginal children. Environmentalists are also concerned that the tailings will remain active for the next 250,000 years, and that mining increases the chances of stable uranium moving. It is the first of 26 Uranium mines awaiting government approval.Stunning footage of this threatened land reinforces the sadness felt for what could be lost. Now other Australians are supporting the Aborigines in what many see as standing up to what mounts up to an outright swindle of their land. Yvonne Margarula's fear grows more acute: "Money's not going to fix anything. They can take it back. White man money, not black fella money. Money's going to kill us." Protesters struggle to hang a banner on the proposed mine site. As the helicopter lifts away, the hilltop banner makes a poignant Image. In the struggle to protest in a language that will reach the white people, maybe the Aborigine voice will finally be heard.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Australia
• Aborigines
• aboriginal
• land
• Mirrar
• people
• Uranium
• mine
• rights
• radioactive
• water
• pollution
• journeyman
• pictures
• news
• documentary
• current affairs
• journeyman pictures

[iKnowYouSeeThis]

Split the Earth, Render the Sky, Spoil the waters, and poison the air.

...and now you pervert the process of life itself, DNA.

...nothing you hold sacred, nothing you touch is clean, only suffering and death is left in your passing. All you do is VOID.

This is your progress...

[Logicbeatslies]

Lol, less than 1 million. That might be the highest number ever.

[viewsonicplastic2222]

Just a thought, maybe nothing to do with this video. If this land is aboriginal land and the resources are on this land, why would you let someone else come into your back yard take the wealth from it, and then pay you a commission on that. Wouldn't you make your own company and extract the wealth your self, why would you take hand outs. it just doesn't make sense to me

[zenmachine50]

Yvonne Margarula is the problem here. she's just a simple woman manipulated by middle class white yuppies in the city who belong to the greens party. I don't know how old she is, but when she and her generation pass away, the younger generation who want toyota four wheel drives and trips overseas will take over and give era permission to mine Jabaluka.

[CuteShooter]

I have to look at an ad for lying scumbag BP in the corner of this page while watching this video. BP monsters can go to hell.

[smartone23yea]

damb nomatter where ya go white people aint shit lmao. This is a true genetic mutation. If i had the power you dont know what id do to them lol. Anybody white man id beat the liveing shit out of their bisgusting porky pig eating asses. i hate crackers

[001dangermouse]

Fuck you white cunts. Its our land , you know that now so fuck off.

Every time we have kids you dumb cunts give us money so give us 20 years and we will outnumber you anyway.

Your already to scared to look us in the eye when you c us on the street so whats it going to be like in 20 years you weak dogs.

[akumie]

@citylad19 if I was native I would make a some small native army and attack people who try to take our lands and I do mean kill them

dont give me that crap that we all need to live together because I am white and dont like the way we live but no point in chaning if the world is to fucked up

[citylad19]

there is less than a million of us left the genocides all ready done those communitys are tiny in the N.T a couple of thousand in each no schools nothing no treaty like were not even here. stay strong i heard a fella say connected to these muddy roots like plants were gonna stay.

[inderneil]

australians are americas asshole licker and dravidians are monkeys