Traditional Owners Challenge Government to Meet Over Muckaty Waste Dump

Muckaty Traditional Owners met outside the offices of the Northern Land Council in Tennant Creek today to protest the passing of the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill through the House of Representatives.

The protest coincided with a federal court mediation in Melbourne about the contested Muckaty site nomination, attended by Traditional Owner Mark Lane Jangala. The Traditional Owners resolved to continue fighting the proposed waste dump and reiterated calls for politicians and the NLC to come to Tennant Creek and meet with the community.

Janet Thompson said: “I’m so disappointed in the government not listening to Traditional Owners about the waste dump at Muckaty. We asked so many times for Martin Ferguson to come and listen to us but he just ignored our requests. We would like to see this still happen, to come and listen to the rightful Traditional Owners at Muckaty.”

Penny Phillips added: “Minister Warren Snowdon should listen to us. We the people voted him in, elected him. They should listen to the people because we live here, not them. Our country is so beautiful and they want to come and destroy it.”

I reckon both Minister Martin Ferguson and Senator Trish Crossin should come to our country. They’re gonna destroy this beautiful country. They should come out here and camp with us.”

Dianne Stokes said “Are the government thinking that we're making our stories up for them? We're telling them the truth. We know the land. They don't know the country, they never walked the country. We challenge them to come show us where the sacred sites are. We want them to come and show us the dance. We want them to come now to tell us the story about the land. Think of the people on the ground, we are the ones who are the heartbroken people of our land.”

Senior Traditional Owner Bunny Naparulla concluded: “We been fighting all those years for our land, but what we got - nothing! I don't want that nuclear waste in the land, my grandfather’s land and my mother’s land. We got the culture for it and the knowledge for the country. Five groups are there but they've been listening to one group. We don't want that nuclear waste in Muckaty, in Manuwangku, take it away!”