ROCK ART EXPERT CHALLENGES POLITICIANS ON MURUJUGA THREATS

BY ELIZA KLOSER

Murujuga rock art. Photo credit: Eliza Kloser

A leading rock art expert has challenged politicians who say there is no evidence of any threat of damage to World Heritage-nominated rock art from industry in the area.

Murujuga at the Burrup Peninsula in North West Western Australia is home to over a million petroglyphs, some of which are up to 50 000 years old and hold cultural significance.

At the announcement of the nomination for Murujuga to become a World Heritage site on Friday, both the state and federal Environment Ministers said that there was no evidence that industrial emissions had caused any damage to the Murujuga rock art.

“There isn’t evidence of any harm at the moment, but the reason we are engaging and supporting extensive monitoring is so we can be absolutely clear on that,” Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said.

“Of course, the science will guide all of our decision-making.”

UWA Professor of World Rock Art Benjamin Smith said that the science is clear.

“When the politicians say that there is no evidence of pollution damaging the rock art that is simply untrue,” he said.

“There is quite a range of peer-reviewed publications. There were three that came out last year that I was involved in that are showing very clearly that this pollution will and is damaging the art.”

There have been many publications since the 2000s about industry’s impacts on rock art at Murujuga.

“Woodside has said a few times that there is no direct scientific evidence and I worry that the government is getting its information from Woodside and it shouldn’t be,” Professor Smith said.

“It should be getting its information from the scientists.

“There is also a Western Australian Government funded project to look at the same things, but because that is government-funded it is locked up in confidentiality clauses.

“[There should be] a public report on what is being done.

“There was a symposium here in Perth on this yesterday. People can’t go to it. I was barred access to it.

“I don’t believe that’s the way science should work.

“Why is it that the government’s monitoring project is locked up behind a confidentiality clause?”

Under section 10 of the Federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act, an independent reporter is currently investigating risks to the Murujuga rock art and will make recommendations to Minister Plibersek on how it should be protected.

“I and many others have submitted all this evidence to the Section 10,” Professor Smith said.

“So we are very hopeful that the independent assessor of section 10 will report on this and will make it clear to the Ministers that the scientific evidence is all pointing in the one direction,” he said.

Listen to the full interview with UWA Professor of World Rock Art Benjamin Smith.