STATE GOVERNMENT FUNDS MURUJUGA ABORIGINAL CORPORATION MEDIA ADVISOR

BY GERARD MAZZA

Murujuga country. Credit: Supplied.

The WA government will provide $387,000 to the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) to manage media and communications activities over three years, according to the state budget papers released last week.

The grant will be delivered between the years 2022-23 and 2024-25.

According to MAC’s communications and media advisor, the funding is being used to employ a full-time communications and media advisor.

“MAC sought funding assistance from the state government to help promote a variety of initiatives including the nomination of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape for World Heritage listing, Murujuga Rock Art Strategy, Ranger programs, joint management of Murujuga National Park and associated communications,” they said.

The media advisor said the grant did not come with any conditions and the state government did not have input into MAC’s media strategy.

MAC was formed out of the Burrup and Maitland Industrial Estates Agreement (BMIEA) made between the state government and three former Native Title claimant groups in 2003.

The BMIEA was made in the context of ‘compulsory acquisition’ of Native Title rights and contains a controversial ‘no-objections’ clause, which some traditional custodians have said prevents them from speaking freely regarding industrial development at Murujuga.

MAC recently stated it would welcome the opportunity to renegotiate the BMIEA.