An aboriginal group in Australia has succeeded in blocking plans to develop a massive new gas field off the country’s northern coast by winning an appeal.
Dennis Tipakalippa, a member of an aboriginal community in the Tiwi Islands, is behind the complaint against the Santos Group, one of the country’s largest oil and gas producers, which wants to launch a drilling program in the Timor Sea.
Tipakalippa and the Munupi clan are concerned that the Santos project will harm their marine food resources, but also their spiritual connection to the area.
In September, a court revoked the environmental approval of the gas company’s project, ruling that aboriginal groups had not been properly consulted.
On Friday, the Australian Federal Court dismissed Santos’ appeal, ruling that the company was required to “consult with Mr. Tipakalippa and the Munupi clan because their interests may be affected” by the gas project.
“Santos and all other gas companies should take note,” Tipakalippa said in a statement released by the Environmental Advocates Office.
“We have fought to protect our Sea Country (a term used for their territory at sea) from beginning to end and we will never stop fighting,” he said.
Although Santos will have to seek new approvals before it can begin drilling, it is not clear whether the court ruling will be enough to permanently block the A$3.6 billion (US$2.5 billion) project.
Santos has said he still plans to extract gas from the field by 2025.
The Tiwi Islands are a sparsely populated archipelago located about 80 kilometers off the coast of Darwin, in northern Australia.
Aboriginal Australians make up about 90% of the 2,000 inhabitants of these islands, known for their art, language and passion for Australian soccer.
