Swiss Multinational Mining on Australian Aboriginal Land

Swiss mining company, Xstrata, has been working an open-pit mine on the McArthur River Delta in the North Territory, Australia, since 2003.  Aboriginal groups with traditional and legal claims to the land consider the area sacred, and both they and the commercial fishermen who depend on the health of the Delta's ecology are finding their livelihoods at risk due to environmental degradation.  In fact, the company and its predecessor, MIM, had been mining on the land despite the traditional inhabitants' objections and their legal claim to the area under the 1977 Aboriginal Rights Act.  Mining briefly stopped in late 2008 due to a court decision which criticized a "lack of openness" in the decision-making process leading to mine planning and development.  Among other issues, leaders of the aboriginal people who occupy the land and utilize it for ceremonial purposes have argued that their concerns and protests have been repeatedly ignored by Xstrata representatives.  On February 20, 2009, the Federal government of Australia reapproved Xstrata's continuation and expansion of mining services on the traditionally-held land after the release of an independent environmental impact report whose contents are not clear.  The suspension of operations in December resulted in the loss of 300 jobs associated with the mine.  The aboriginal peoples in the area are looking for support for their ongoing struggle against the Swiss company.

For more information:

http://corpwatch.org/article.php?id=15297

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/20/2496910.htm (image credit)

http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/mcarthur/

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25082203-364...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/21/2497722.htm?section=justin