A window of opportunity

Walkers at spectacular James Price Point in the Kimberley region, WA. Photo: Jenita Enevoldsen

When we first began work on our Kimberley campaign the destruction bearing down on James Price Point (known as Walmadan to its Traditional Owners) was a little-known issue outside of the local area in Western Australia.

Since then, the fight to save James Price Point – home to Humpback whale breeding grounds and precious Bilby habitat – has exploded. The issue has made headlines worldwide and is now shaping up as one of the most defining environmental battles Australia has ever faced.

The challenge of a generation

The West Australian Government and mining giant Woodside may be hell bent on foisting the biggest industrial development this country has ever seen on to one of our most spectacular pieces of coastline, but the area’s Traditional Owners, local communities, and concerned Australians everywhere have shown they’re simply not willing to let this iconic piece of country get handed to the mining industry without a fight.

Woodside had been working hard to complete seismic testing at James Price Point, and finish important roadworks, before the arrival of the wet season this month. This would have allowed them to continue their work through the wet season. But with our support, a group of dedicated Broome locals risked arrest by blockading the site and delayed much of the work.

Pressure is beginning to show…

Cracks are now starting to appear in Woodside’s commitment to their project. Just recently, the new Woodside CEO failed to contradict a statement in The Australian that he was 'reassessing' the gas hub at the exact time when he should be looking for financial backing.

Documents we obtained from Resources Minister Martin Ferguson's office under Freedom of Information laws reveal that Woodside’s key partner Shell was keen to avoid the James Price Point development altogether and have the gas piped to a different location instead.

Furthermore, Wikileaks cables exposed some of Woodside’s joint venture partners complaining to the US Consulate that they were forced to ‘either accept the James Price Point plan’ or ‘walk away from the project’.

You know a project is in trouble when even the mining giants are complaining of shady deals and backroom manoeuvering.

The time to act is now

The extraordinary show of opposition by people all over the country means that no more work can take place at James Price Point until the the wet season ends.

This delay is costly for the companies involved, and also provides us with a small but valuable window of opportunity.

A brief respite from on-the-ground campaign work means now is the time to ramp up our political lobbying. With your help, we can use this time to set ourselves up in a campaign-winning position – a position that will allow us to counter Woodside head-on when they return to James Price Point to resume construction in March.

This is set to be a tough, drawn-out battle against the entrenched power of politicians, Big Oil and vested interests, but we’re in it for the long haul. We hope you are too.

Take action

Please show your support at this crucial time by making a tax-deductible donation to our Kimberley Campaign.