Briefly:
In a major victory for traditional landowners who fear the coalition’s nuclear pressure, the Jabeluka site, which is surrounded by Kakadu National Park, will never be mined.
The federal government has rejected an application by Energy Resources Australia to extend the lease on an undeveloped uranium area by ten years.
What then?
The lease on the site expires on August 11, and the government will move to formally incorporate the site into Kakadu National Park.
Premier Anthony Albanese is set to end three decades of uncertainty over the lease of the Northern Territory’s Jabeluka mine by annexing the controversial uranium site to Kakadu National Park.
In a major victory for the traditional owners of Merar, which protects them from any future expansion of uranium mining under the Coalition’s nuclear energy policy, Mr Albanese will tell the NSW Labor conference in Sydney on Saturday that the federal government will begin the process of permanently protecting the site.
Albanese described the decision to block the renewal of the Jabiluka lease, which was due to expire on August 11, as a final tribute to outgoing Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney, saying it “means there will never be mining at Jabiluka again”.
“This beautiful part of Australia is home to some of the oldest rock art in the world,” he told delegates at the conference.
“Here, in 2017, archaeologists discovered axes and sharpening tools dating back tens of thousands of years.
“A testament to the extraordinary and enduring relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have with our land.
“A reminder of the extraordinary privilege each of us has to share this continent with the oldest continuous culture in the world.”
The Northern Territory government said on Friday it had taken the advice of the federal government and rejected an application to renew the ten-year mineral lease for the Jabiluka site, which has not been mined or developed by its holder, Rio Tinto’s majority-owned Energy Resources Australia (ERA).
At one point in the late 1990s, the uranium mine was under siege by the traditional owners of Mirar and the rock band Midnight Oil, and the fight over it was a long-running saga.
“In 1991, despite pressure from within his government, Bob Hawke moved to stop uranium mining in Kakadu National Park,” Albanese says.
In 2013, the Gillard Government, acting on the express wishes of traditional owner Jeffrey Lee of the Duke clan, set out to protect his people’s land by adding [nearby] Koongarra to National Park.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that our Government will work with traditional owners to make Gapiluka part of Kakadu National Park, once and for all.
“The people of Mirar have loved and cared for their land for more than 60,000 years. Our government will work with them to keep it safe forever.”
Merar’s traditional owner, Corbin Mudjandi, told the ABC earlier this month he was concerned that the federal coalition’s plan to open nuclear power stations if it wins the next election could lead to increased demand for uranium in Jabeluka.
ERA, which is 86.3% owned by Rio Tinto, says extending the Gabiluka lease, which is subject to veto by traditional owners, will not lead to uranium extraction unless the rangers change their minds.
The Northern Territory government announced in June that the area covered by the lease would become “public reserved land” when the lease expires next month, a move activists saw as a sign that the lease would be banned.
Mr. Albanese has met with the people of Mirar over the past eighteen months.
“They were seeking guarantees that no uranium would be mined on their land.
“When Yvonne Margarola, the traditional owner of the Mirar area, wrote to me, she spoke of the opportunity to ‘finally be free from the threat of further uranium mining in Kakadu,’” Albanese says.
ERA has held a lease on the Jabeluka site – one of the largest and richest uranium deposits in the world – for 42 years.
The lease has long been a controversial proposal, strongly opposed by the Mirar tribe as well as environmental groups.
In March, ERA applied for a ten-year extension to the lease.
Northern Territory Mining Minister Mark Monaghan said on Friday the decision to reject the lease was based on advice from federal Resources Minister Madeleine King that the Merar people did not want the mine lease extended.
“The advice came from Secretary King very clearly to decline the request,” he said.
Mr Monaghan said he had no opinion on whether the lease should be extended and was only acting on ministerial advice.
“One of the most striking aspects of the views of all stakeholders was that the position of Mirar was the most important to everyone, including ERA,” he said.
Traditionalists celebrate historic win
Mr Modjandi said the refusal to extend the lease was a long and hard-fought victory.
“This day will go down in history as the day the Merar people finally repelled the attack of Jabiluka. It is a great day for the Merar people, for Kakadu, for the Northern Territory and for Australia,” he said.
“This proves that people who stand up for their country can win. We look forward to welcoming all Australians to share our cultural heritage for decades to come.”
Dave Sweeney, a campaigner for a nuclear-free environment at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said he was shocked by the decision.
“It was a real surprise and a welcome surprise and really positive news to hear,” he said.
Mr Sweeney wants to see ERA now focus on rehabilitating the massive Ranger uranium mine at Jabiru after it finishes production in January 2021.
“It is a sensible, wise and responsible decision and now provides the ability for ERA and all agencies and stakeholders in this area to focus on the essential work that needs to happen now, which is the comprehensive clean-up of the former Ranger Mine,” he said.
The rehabilitation project was of great importance, said Thalia van den Boogaard, CEO of Gondjehme Australia.
“It is up to the mining company and the Commonwealth Government to ensure that the site is fully rehabilitated so that it can be safely returned to Mirar and included in the national park,” she said.
ERA splits with parent company over lease decision
While some of ERA’s smaller shareholders sought an extension to the mining lease, this did not receive support from Rio Tinto.
The dispute has now been resolved by the rejection of the lease.
A Rio Tinto spokesperson acknowledged the announcement, telling the ABC that the company was “pleased that the wishes of the Mirar people… have been respected”.
The land will be released from the mining lease on August 11 this year, the day before voting begins in the Northern Territory election.
