ROEBOURNE COMMUNITY MEMBER RESPONDS TO TWIGGY'S CLAIM MINING ROYALTIES WILL CREATE ‘ALCOHOL DISASTER’
In the Pilbara, a prominent Roebourne community member has responded to Andrew Forrest’s claim that providing local native title holders with royalties would lead to an Alice Springs-style “alcohol disaster.”
Earlier this week, Mr Forrest defended his company Fortescue Metal Group’s decision not to sign a native title agreement with the Yindjibarndi people, stating that "ending the Indigenous disparity is not done with cash.”
Ngurranga Tours operator and Ngarluma-Yindjibarndi man Clinton Walker refuted Mr. Forrest’s claims in an Instagram post, stating that mining royalties would lift his community from social disparity.
“The money that he doesn’t want to pay, which is rightfully belonging to the Yindjabarndi people because that’s the country of the people who he’s mining on and getting rich from, becoming a billionaire, he should basically do what he’s supposed to and pay the people,” he said.
“By paying the people it will remove disparity, it will actually help Aboriginal people.”
A legal dispute between the Yindjibarndi and FMG is ongoing, with hearings to take place on country later this year.
The video posted to @ngurrangga_tours Instagram page by Clinton Walker can be accessed by clicking the link below.