To the Top End, where the Northern Territory government has declared future protection for the Jabiluka area near Kakadu.
Jabiluka is famous for its deposits of uranium – the fuel needed for nuclear energy – and is almost completely surrounded by Kakadu National Park, a world heritage area.
The area has been a lightning rod for anti-nuclear protest and the Indigenous land rights movement since the uranium deposits were discovered in the 1970s, and was the site of a thousands-strong human blockade in 1998 that led to hundreds of arrests.
Traditional owners protesting the introduction of the uranium mine in 1999.Credit: Sandy Scheltema
The nearby former Ranger uranium mine has faced delays and cost blow-outs in its rehabilitation, and the Mirarr traditional owners are opposed to mining Jabiluka.
The mining lease is held by Energy Resources Australia, which is majority-owned by Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto has said the mine will not be developed without the support of the traditional owners.
Chair Dominic Barton told the mining giant’s AGM last month that the company “supports the Mirarr people in their strong opposition to the development of Jabiluka and our focus is only on rehabilitation”.
But ERA last year commissioned a report suggesting traditional owners might change their minds, or that the lease might be able to be sold. In March ERA applied to extend the lease for another 10 years.
The NT’s move to make Jabiluka a special reserve does not mean protection until the mining lease has expired.
The decision will be made by the NT minister for mines, in consultation with the federal resources minister.
If it is refused, the protection for Jabiluka will apply from August this year. If it is approved, the protection will apply at the end of the new lease, in August 2034.