'No deal and no progress' - a view from Gaza on the ceasefire negotiations
Duration: 19 minutes 41 seconds 19 m
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SBS Australia
4 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Traditional owners hope rock art heritage listing will attract eyes of the world
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . Among the red rock hills of Murujuga in Western Australia's Pilbara region are a million ancient rock engravings. Some of the engravings date back 50,000 years, making them older than Stone Henge and the Pyramids of Giza. The ancient petroglyphs include the oldest known depiction of a human face, as well as engravings of plants and animals, some of which are now extinct. Traditional owners have long campaigned to protect the art - and now, their bid for a UNESCO World Heritage listing has ended with triumph in Paris. "I therefore declare the decision 47-8B.13 adopted as amended." UNESCO says their decision recognises that the site represents 'a masterpiece of human creative genius'; is a unique testimony to a cultural tradition; and finally, that the site is an outstanding example of a cultural or human settlement showing interaction with the environment. Chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation ((MAC)), Peter Hicks, travelled to Paris for the momentous decision. "Inscribed into the history books is a great, great outcome for us, the Aboriginal people. It's a nomination led by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people, and guided by the Aboriginal people. And therefore it is a world first." Peter Jeffries is also from the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, which has led the campaign. He says it's been years in the making. "It's been in motion now for two or three decades, and we've lost a lot of our old elders in the process. So this is also in recognition of their support, as well." But while the Corporation's campaign has gone on for decades, it wasn't until 2023 that the Australian Government nominated the Murujuga Cultural Landscape for World Heritage status. Australia's application was referred back to the government in May, after UNESCO suggested state and federal governments needed to do more to address concerns that acid emissions from Woodside's nearby gas project were damaging the engravings. The peninsula in northwest WA near Karratha is home to two gas plants, a fertiliser plant and iron ore and salt export facilities. Environment Minister Senator Murray Watt argued those emission claims were based on inaccuracies, drawing on a report by about 50 scientists who said the emissions showed there was no ongoing risk to the engravings. "In the end, what persuaded the committee was the scientific evidence that was put forward which disputed some of the claims being made but also the genuine passion from the traditional owners to see this world heritage listing be secured." The Minister was also in Paris for the announcement, declaring the government was committed to protecting the site now and for future generations. "On behalf of the Australian government I am honoured to accept this inscription. Australia is thrilled with the committee's decision to inscribe the Murujuga's Cultural Landscape on the World Heritage List. This has been an Indigenous-led nomination and this victory belongs to the Ngarda-Ngarli, the traditional owners and custodians of Murujuga, whose deep knowledge and cultural leadership and enduring connection to country are at the heart of this inscription. But concerns about the potential impacts of pollution on the rock art have not gone away with the listing. Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy says the world is watching now Murujuga is a world heritage site, and has urged the federal environment minister to reject Woodside's provisional gas project extension. Conditions of the approval which relate to emissions from the plant are still being negotiated. And while the 21 member nations unanimously supported the UNESCO listing, they requested Australia continue to research the effects neighbouring industry has on the rock art, and report its findings to the U-N next year. A Woodside spokesperson has responded in a statement to SBS: "The company has been a proud supporter of the World Heritage nomination and assessment process, and the company looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation and Traditional Custodians on the continued protection and management of this globally significant area." Still, Mardathoonera woman and Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper says culture and industry cannot co-exist, and she remains worried about the long term impacts of emissions on the rock art. Peter Hicks says the Ngarda-Ngarli people will remain dedicated to protecting the site. "Today we create our own stories in the stone, but with some care and protection of our culture like our ancestors have always done for fifty thousand years."
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Cricket: Grandstand at Stumps - WI v AUS Kingston Day 1
1h ago 1 hours ago Sun 13 Jul 2025 at 1:30am Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Play Duration: 10 minutes 15 seconds 10 m
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
Rediscovery of original Noongar place names in Perth captured on film
A two-year project to rediscover the original Noongar place names in Perth's southern suburbs has been captured on film. The film, Boodjara, which premiered this week, tells the story of how 14 Noongar elders came together to share what they learnt from their own ancestors, painstakingly reclaiming the original place names of the Melville area, in Perth's southern suburbs. Through long, careful conversations, they found not just names but stories. Yagan Mia (Wireless Hill) means "home of the long-necked turtle", an important food source, while Niergarup is Point Preston, and translates as "place of the salmon". Lucky Bay was known as Margamangup, "the place where they catch fish by hand from a fish trap". The film shows the work of reclaiming culture playing out at the same time as the failed Voice referendum. The film, Boodjara, charts the careful work elders did mapping the area and was shot by Noongar filmmaker Hugh Sando, recording the conversations that led to the rediscovery of the place names. "It was beautiful to watch," Sando told Jo Trilling on ABC Radio Perth. "These conversations unfolded, these stories were being told and I was able to document that in a way that you could share with the community, share with broader Australia. The cultural mapping involved a physical linen map that was unrolled at every meeting and hand-carved clay stamps were made to represent different places. Slowly, the project came together. "I think whenever you're exploring something that has been affected by colonisation, there's always going to be challenges," Sando said. "Thankfully, we have a group of elders that were involved in this project that care so deeply about language and about culture. "And through that, there's robust discussion. There's critical debate." He said for any place, knowing the traditional names was a way into learning about the culture and history. "When Noongar people would refer to a place, it was more often than not a description of what was there, a story about that place. "For me personally, it's so important and I think it should be important for everyone." The name of the film, Boodjara, means country. Sando said he hoped it inspired curiosity for people to learn not just more about Melville, but places all over Australia. "Everyone thrives on the culture of the places they visit," he said. "I would ask one thing from everyone that watches the film — be curious. Where am I? What does this place mean? What was this place before colonisation? "And how is this place still important? For the Noongar elders who took part in the project, it's a restoration of culture that will be felt for generations to come. During the course of filming, Australia voted no to creating the Voice to parliament. Geri Hayden, the cultural advisor on the place names project team, told the ABC last year it was about bringing Noongar stories to the fore for future generations. "It's about reviving the Noongar place names and identifying them and telling the meaning so that our future generations know that we do have a culture, we do have a law," Ms Hayden said. "It's very important that people know about it and especially our children who grow up in the society and the world around us. "We learn about all this European history stuff but they forget about our culture and that means our history too." Hugh Sando sees his film, and the cultural mapping journey it documents, as a way for First Nations culture to become stronger, despite the obstacles. "It was a privilege for me to sit in on those conversations and be able to not only document, but witness that process happen," he said. Boodjara was a collaboration between the Community Arts Network of Western Australia, Indigenous consultancy Moodjar and the City of Melville.
