Stand Up For The Burrup

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Welcome. Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA) raises awareness about the Burrup Peninsula, Australia's largest cultural monument, an Aboriginal sacred site. FARA asks people around the world to literally stand up at places of cultural significance in their country, wearing T-shirts spelling out the slogan "Stand Up For The Burrup".

Presentation

Western Australia´s Burrup Peninsula is the world's largest outdoor rock engraving site, containing rock art of world importance possibly dating back to 30,000 years ago, including possibly the first ever representation of the human face in history. Woodside Petroleum and the Western Australian Government are planning to turn part of this site into a natural gas production facility against the wishes of some of the site`s Aboriginal custodians and the scientific community.

See pictures of some rock art

Listen to some of the Burrup experts

Petition

Please, sign the Get Up petition today

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Latest News

Shoulder to shoulder with the opposition!	8/6/2008
FARA organised its 145th Stand Up vigil at the exit of "A Celebration of Life" in Perth, an event sponsored by the Oswal family. FARA along with Ngarlama custodian of the Burrup Peninsula found it culturally disturbing, that Pankaj Oswal who plans to build an explosive factory on the Burrup employed the services of 10 students to do a counter demonstration. Read FARA's press release .

Varanus explosion points to continued Burrup folly	4/6/2008
Tuesday's (3rd June 2008) Apache gas plant explosion on Varanus Island (100 kms off the coast of Karratha) must be a wake up call for the State Government. See FARA's press release here .

Giant $1billion methanol plant back to the Burrup

17/5/2008

Through an article less than 40 words in the Pilbara News , dated 14th May 2008, Methanex announced that it was coming back to construct on the Burrup. In 2003 the Methanex Corporation of Canada reported that site costs was the reason not to proceed with the project in Western Australia. The corporation therefore moved its planned location from the Burrup Peninsula to Darwin (Northern Territory). Methanex's massive $1billion methanol processing plant project had received environmental approvals in February 2003 and was to be located opposite the Paterson's Valley petroglyph complex, Hearsons Cove, Burrup Peninsula. Emission loads in 2003 from this plant were estimated to be around 359 kg/hr nitrogen oxide and 2.25 Mtpa of carbon dioxide. In 2003 it was anticipated that this giant plant would consist of two nominal 6,000 tonnes per day methanol plants, two air separation units, methanol storage of 220,000 tonnes, a desalination plant as well as transport systems for raw materials, products to and from the plant site and ship loading operations at Dampier Port on the Burrup Peninsula.

Explosives plant for the Burrup

15/5/2008

Pankaj Oswal of Burrup Fertilisers announced on the 13th May 2008 that he had formed a joint venture with Yara International ASA of Norway to create a company called Burrup Nitrates (BNPL) whose purpose is to build an explosives plant next to the current Burrup Fertilisers plant. Mr Oswal or his wife would be horrified if industry started destroying the Hindu Gardens of Vrindaban, the Taj Mahal or the temple city of Vishnupur. In Vishnupur, protection of the Pancha Ratna and Jor Bangla temples (approximately 400 year old) is being sought as they are exposed to airborne pollution coming from three hundred kilometres away. Yet here in Australia Mr Oswal is proposing to build an explosives factory, with all the attendant pollution less than a kilometre from some of the world’s oldest petroglyphs and culture, possibly 30,000 years in age.

Burrup Vandalism Escalates	28/4/2008
Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA) today released photos of the latest vandalism at Kangaroo Paw Valley on the Burrup in the Dampier National Heritage listed area. See FARA's press release here .

Australian Financial Review articles	1/3/2008
The Australian Financial Review (the leading business newspaper in Australia) published 2 articles: "On the rocks" (1.2Mb) and "Breaking the spirit of the rock" (85Kb) on Friday 29th February 2008.

FARA meets Heritage Minister Garrett

31/1/2008

Three representatives of FARA attended a constructive meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Perth, with the new Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett. The meeting followed Midnight Oil's ex front man's visit to the Burrup on the previous day where he was shown one of the rock art galleries by traditional custodians. The meeting enabled FARA to impress on the Minister the World Heritage values of the Burrup and the surrounding Archipelago, dialog will we hope now remain open. See FARA's press release here .

B-Day	18/11/2007
On Saturday 17th November 2007, Burrup rock art campaigners targetted Liberal’s Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney, Labor’s Gary Gray in Perth and Woodside’s Pluto B lease on the Burrup Peninsula by organising a series of actions. See FARA's press release here .

Turnbull artfully dodges Burrup heritage decision	4/11/2007
Turnbull outsourced his decision to Mr Cobb who did not consider the Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo people's request. Woodside is currently removing/destroying 200 rock art. Woodside is in breach of several clauses of the section 18. See FARA's press release and Mr Cobb's extraordinary response to barrister Mr Kitto here.

Green light for Pluto	13/10/2007
Commonwealth Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull gave Woodside approval to destroy/remove sacred rock art at Murujuga/the Burrup. See ABC News article here

Turnbull go-ahead for Woodside's Pluto

12/10/2007

On the last day of the dying Federal Government, Friday October 12, Woodside were given final approval to remove approximately 200 rock art panels on its Pluto B lease, by Minister Turnbull, to make way for an LNG plant. At the same time Assistant Environment Minister John Cobb said he was "not satisfied that Site B was a significant Aboriginal area within the meaning of the Act", despite the area having been identified as having indigenous heritage values consistent with the National Heritage listing. See letter here.

Stop cultural vandalism	28/9/2007
One of the most significant panels in the area of the Conzink Bay on the Burrup Peninsula/Murujuga has recently been vandalised.

Advertisement campaign continues	28/9/2007
FARA published its advertisement in four NSW newspapers: the Eastern Suburbs Spectator, Paddington Woollahra Times, Randwick Leader, and Coogee/Maroubra Messenger. See FARA's press release.

Write to Malcolm Turnbull	26/9/2007
FARA published an advertisement in the Wentworth Courier to highlight Malcolm Turnbull’s responsibility for the fate of ancient Aboriginal rock art on the Burrup Peninsula. See FARA's press release.

Burrup heritage mess won’t go away	7/9/2007
The Greens have added their support to the Wong-Goo-Tt-Oo Native Title Group’s application for a Ministerial Declaration under Sections 9 and 10 of the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act over the Pluto Site ‘B’ lease on the Burrup Peninsula. See press release here .

T.O. seeks injunction against Woodside	4/9/2007
Traditional owners, the Wong-gg-tt-oo native title claimant group made an application to Malcolm Turnbull, Federal Minister for the Environment, seeking an urgent injunction preventing Woodside from destroying the ancient rock art of Murujuga ("The Burrup"). See press release here .

3rd Stand Up target surpassed	21/8/2007
Once again FARA exceeded its target with 27 out of 20 Stand Ups in the last 10 weeks. Click here to see the highlights.

FARA Bulletin 1, July/August 2007	17/8/2007
This first bulletin brings you the news of the campaign to preserve Murujuga (The Burrup). Click here.

Rock up for Rock Art - Concert	13/8/2007
A fundraising Concert for FARA will be held at The Swan Hotel - Swan Basement on Saturday 25th August, doors open 7pm, entry $12/$7. Bands: St Agnes, Phil Moncrieff, The Hip Replacements, Burgers of Beef. Click here .

Art Auction fundraised $30,000	12/8/2007
FARA's art auction held in Fremantle on Sunday 29 July was a great success where approximately $30,000 was raised. Click here .

International Prisoner's Justice Day	6/8/2007
On Friday 10 August, 10 am, Ngarluma custodian of the Burrup Peninsula and Roebourne artist Loreen Samson will give a presentation on her direct personal experience of Aboriginal deaths in custody at Fremantle Prison. For further details, contact Brian Steels on 0419 907 016 or see the flyer .

Rally for the Burrup	10/7/2007
FARA is holding a rally at Parliament House Perth at 2pm this Friday 13th July. “Stand Up for the Burrup” weekend of global action will also take place simultaneously in San Francisco (USA), New York (USA), Rocamadour (France) and Forlimpopoli (Italy).

Heritage Listing - Woodside must go	3/7/2007
Malcolm turnbull announced National Heritage List for the Dampier Archipelago - statement and map . "Woodside must go" said FARA in its press release

FARA criticises Woodside	27/6/2007
FARA was quick to respond when Woodside CEO Don Voelte floated a plan to process Browse Basin gas on the Burrup. FARA issued a media release the same day pointing out that there is no room in Karratha or Dampier to support any further industrial expansion. Mr Chapple called upon WA Premier Alan Carpenter to show leadership by establishing an integrated gas management plan for the Northwest.

Canberra Stand Up II

20/6/2007

Senator Rachel Siewert, Mr Peter Andren MHR, and Hon Dr Carmen Lawrence MHR issued a joint media statement expressing their strong support for FARA's campaign, which they described as "a fantastic grassroots effort aimed at lifting the profile of what many regard as Australia's most significant cultural and historical heritage site." On 5 December 2006, Senator Seiwert and MHR's Andren and Lawrence also jointly sought Emergency National Heritage Listing for the Burrup, an application that was rejected by the then Commonwealth Environment Minister, Senator Ian Campbell, allowing Woodside to commence removing and destroying art on its "Pluto" Site A lease on the Burrup.

WA government [...] vandals - again	6/6/2007
FARA press release following the