Traditional Owners of the land where Adani is digging its Carmichael coal mine are calling on the Queensland government to make public the details of a secret water supply agreement its water corporation SunWater has with Adani. As reported in The Guardian today.
Wangan and Jagalingou cultural custodians are concerned the Queensland government, through its water corporation SunWater, is secretly providing water to Adani that is enabling the destruction of their country and are demanding the Queensland government not renew or extend any existing contracts SunWater has with Adani.
Wangan and Jagalingou, senior cultural custodian Adrian Burragubba says:
“We have rights and they have to be respected by the Queensland government, we are concerned that the government has handed over water resources to Adani without informing the public or us as Traditional Owners.
“The Government should be mindful of its obligations to us, as First Nations people, to uphold human rights of the W&J cultural custodians and not to allow Adani to use water that is significant to the maintenance and strengthening of our distinctive spiritual, material and economic relationship with the land and waters.
“The granting of water to Adani is going to have further impacts on us as the people of the land, it’s going to enable Adani to destroy more of our country, our animal totems, sacred sites and cultural heritage.
“Adani is being an environmental nuisance, knocking down trees and habitat for our animal totems, polluting our sacred water resources and draining the underground aquifers that sustain life on our country. It is deeply disrespectful for the Queensland Government to facilitate this destruction of our country and culture by handing over water to Adani.
“The Queensland Government has already given Adani a licence to take an unlimited amount of water from the Great Artesian Basin. Now they’ve entered into another dodgy and secretive deal to hand even more water over to Adani that will lead to further destruction of our country and culture”
“If we ask the Queensland government to protect our water and culture we are ignored, but the government is giving Adani water to help them mine coal that will destroy our country and culture.
“Adani’s mine is draining the life out of the land and sucking up the ancient groundwater that feeds the sacred Doongmabulla springs. But the Queensland government has ignored our pleas for an independent scientific assessment and monitoring of the threats to our sacred Doongmabulla Springs and is instead entering into a secretive deal with Adani to supply them with even more water”
“Wangan and Jagalingou people live on country. We have been conducting a continuous cultural ceremony at the site of Adani’s coal mine for close to one year and what Adani is doing to our country is directly impacting us as people of the land.”