TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS OF ADANI COAL MINE SITE CELEBRATE ONE YEAR OF REOCCUPATION

Around 150 people have joined Coedee McAvoy at the one-year anniversary of the Wangan and Jagalingou reoccupation. Credit: Wangan and Jagalingou.

Traditional Custodians of the Adani coal mine site in Central-Western Queensland have marked the one-year anniversary of their reoccupation of Country.

Wangan and Jagalingou Custodian Coedee McAvoy said his people have continuously held a ceremony on the Adani coal mine site for a year. They’re acting to challenge Adani and protect their land and water from the coal mine.

‘We’ve constantly had a fire burning inside of a stone Bora ring,” Mr McAvoy said.

“We’ve always had one Wangan and Jagalingou person inside the circle at all times, and there’s no foreign objects or things inside the circle.”

150 people have joined the celebrations, including Aboriginal people from 15 different language groups across the continent.

Mr McAvoy said First Nations people should be in control of their own country.

“Each mob should have their own autonomous zones in which they cannot be subjugated by this tyrannical government,” he said.

“They should be able to go back to their country, live however they want to, and be self-determining. They make the rules, they make the decisions, and their old people tell them what they can and can’t do. Not the police, and not the government.”

Listen to our full interview with Coedee McAvoy.