Australia strips legal status of indigenous lands to build coal mine

A vast swathe of traditionally indigenous land has been stripped of its legal protections in Australia so it can be mined.

More than 1,385 hectares of Wangan and Jagalingou country in Queensland has had its officially-recognised native title extinguished so proposed coal pits can be developed in the state’s Galilee Basin.

The land, which includes areas used for traditional ceremonial purposes, has been granted freehold to the Adani Group, a vast Indian-owned multinational which specialises in mining.

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The ruling – made by the state government without announcement – means protesters fighting the industrialisation can effectively be arrested for trespass on their own land, The Guardian reports.

“We have been made trespassers on our own country,” said Adrian Burragubba, the W&J Council leader who was told of the extinguishing during a meeting with state officials.

“Our ceremonial grounds, in place for a time of mourning for our lands as Adani begins its destructive processes, are now controlled by billionaire miner Adani.”

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The race will take place on 4 August. EPA 30/50 2 August 2019 An extremely rare Pink Meanie jellyfish on display at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The Pink Meanie was discovered during a nightlight jellyfish dive by the collections team in the waters around Robben Island and in Cape Town Harbour. Pink Meanies are jellyvorous, meaning they feed on other jelly species by reeling them in with their long tentacles. Discovering the Pink Meanie in its early ephyra stage meant the team could study its growth rate which turned out to be very quick as it grew to the metaephyra stage in about a week and a half. The Mexican pink meanie (Drymonema larsoni) was only discovered in the year 2000. A Mediterranean relative, known as the Big Pink Jellyfish (Drymonema dalmatinum) has been known to science since the 1800s but when spotted in 2014 it had been almost 70 years since the last sighting. These jellies are incredibly rare and this new South African species is no exception. EPA 31/50 1 August 2019 Palestinian men breathe fire on the beach as entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City. AFP/Getty 32/50 31 July 2019 A woman rows a boat through the lotus plants on the waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The lake is a popular tourist destination because of its floating gardens and lotus flowers. EPA 33/50 30 July 2019 An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolize the destruction of evil and belief to drive evil spirits and ghost, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal. Reuters 34/50 29 July 2019 Hundreds of hot air balloons take part in the Great Line at the Mondial Air Ballons festival, in an attempt to break the 2017 record of 456 balloons aligning in an hour during the biggest meeting in the world, in Chambley, France. Reuters 35/50 28 July 2019 Anti-extradition bill protesters with umbrellas attend a rally against the police brutality in Hong Kong. EPA 36/50 27 July 2019 A general view of stalls closed following yesterday's volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the north of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia. Reuters 37/50 26 July 2019 Protesters rally against a controversial extradition bill in the arrivals hall at the international airport in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 38/50 25 July 2019 The pack rides in a valley during the eighteenth stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun and Valloire. AFP/Getty 39/50 24 July 2019 Former special counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the investigation into Russian Interference of the 2016 Presidential Election. Reuters 40/50 23 July 2019 People cool down at the fountains of Trocadero during a heatwave in Paris. EPA 41/50 22 July 2019 Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, depicted as a sea monster, during a protest near congress. This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila. AFP/Getty 42/50 21 July 2019 Protesters run from tear gas, fired by police, after a march against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. The masked protesters covered the walls of China's office in Hong Kong with eggs and graffiti following another massive rally. AFP/Getty 43/50 20 July 2019 Fans line the streets of Algiers to see the national Algerian football team take part in an open-top bus parade following their victory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. They were celebrating their second Cup of Nations win, 29 years after their first triumph in 1990. AFP/Getty 44/50 19 July 2019 The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission is celebrated in a 17-minute show, "Apollo 50: Go for the Moon" which combined full-motion projection-mapping artwork on the Washington Monument and archival footage to recreate the launch of Apollo 11. Nasa/AP 45/50 18 July 2019 A pupil from Northlen Primary school sticks a poster of former president Nelson Mandela on a chalkboard, as they mark his birthday in Durban. July 18, marks 101 years since the birth of Mandela in 1918. AFP/Getty 46/50 17 July 2019 Firefighters rush to the scene to put out a fire that spread to parked cars in Jerusalem, following an extreme heat wave. AFP/Getty Images 47/50 16 July 2019 Rescuers work at the site of collapsed building in Dongri area of Mumbai, India. EPA 48/50 15 July 2019 A motorist drives past a destroyed house after a large earthquake that hit Surigao City, in the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines. AFP/Getty Images 49/50 14 July 2019 French Gendarmes remove fences next to a burning portable toilet during clashes with protesters on the Champs Elysees avenue after the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France. Reuters 50/50 13 July 2019 A recortador jumps over a bull during a contest in a bullring at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain. Reuters

The development of the entire project – first proposed in 2011 – has been hugely controversial from day one.

It has caused anger not only among indigenous people but also among climate activists, who say new fossil fuel industries should not be being waved through, and other Queensland residents who are concerned it could disrupt water supplies.

There have been several mass demonstrations against the project in the state capital, Brisbane.

To mine any land under a native title in Australia, a company needs an Indigenous Land Use Agreement, essentially a contract that allows the state to end native title.

Although seven of the 12 native claimants had agreed to the mines being developed, five remained opposed. They have lost successive legal challenges.

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But Mr Burragubba said the new developments would not stop his people attempting to defend the land.

He said: “We will never consent to these decisions and will maintain our defence of country.

“We will be on our homelands to care for our lands and waters, hold ceremonies and uphold the ancient, abiding law of the land.”

In a statement, Adani said it had worked closely with the traditional owners of the proposed mine’s site since 2011 “to ensure the customs and wishes of Indigenous people are respected and supported”.