First Nations cultural heritage is under threat from multinational mining company Glencore鈥檚 coal mine expansion at the site of one of the聽Frontier Wars聽at Glendell, near Singleton in New South Wales.
Robert Lester, representing the Plains Clan of the Wonnarua (PCW), spoke passionately outside NSW Parliament on September 21聽about why the聽area needed to be protected.
He said if there was any truth to government claims to want to right past wrongs, they needed to stop such destruction.
The PCW聽lodged an application under the Commonwealth Aboriginal Heritage Act to protect the area last year.
Glencore wants to shift the Ravensworth Estate homestead, even though the Heritage Council of NSW has noted the 鈥渆xceptional importance of the site, its shared history and the intrinsic connection鈥 between massacre sites, First Nations cultural heritage and the colonial homestead.
The NSW Independent Planning Commission will make a decision on Glencore鈥檚 Glendell coal mine expansion in October.
Speakers, including NSW Greens Senator David Shoebridge, Greens MLC Sue Higginson and Independent MLC Justin Field, emphasised the need to listen to the PCW.
They said a place of truth-telling and reconciliation in the Hunter Valley, already under threat from open-cut mining, needs聽to be protected.
Lock the Gate鈥檚 Nick Clyde said Singleton artist Doug Heslop has聽been prevented from displaying his work depicting the Frontier Wars because the Singleton Council has decided it was .
Shoebridge said there is no doubt that Glencore has an influence on the Singleton Council given the millions of dollars that flow to council as part of mine planning agreements.
One of the paintings,聽Wonnarua Massacre 1826, depicts a massacre the Wonnarua People say took place at the site of Ravensworth homestead. Glencore disputes this.
Heslop, a descendent of Ben Singleton, organised an exhibition titled 鈥淥ne Man Soweth and Another Reapeth鈥澛爋n Singleton鈥檚 history. It was scheduled to open this week.
Protesters wanted to drop a sign-on letter to the IPC, but聽it would not take it. They instead delivered it to federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek鈥檚 office.
Glencore runs 17 coal mines, making it Australia鈥檚 largest coal producer and biggest contributor to emissions from coal mining.聽The (EDO) said it had not found evidence the company has a decarbonisation plan in place.
EDO spokesperson Kirsty Ruddock said on September聽8 it had 鈥済rowing concerns over the environmental and social harm Glencore causing鈥.
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