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FeatureKimberley and the cowboysTabatha FulkerIn the land of the lucky the cowboys areprimed to cash in their chips.Photos:Tim WattersResources are a cowboy’s currency. Gold,oil, rocks or gas, if you’re inclined to try yourluck you’d wrangle your horse for Australia’swestern border. Looking for a new frontier you’dpass the Pilbara. Sights set for new opportunityyou’d steer your stead toward the Kimberley.James Price Point, near Broome in the Kimberley,is the proposed site of the world’s largestgas processing plant. It’s a cowboy’s dream. Gasnever smelt so ripe. Stick it in a bottle and labelit opportunity.But, and rightly so, some folks don’t see it that way. The proposedgas hub is smack bang in the middle of a humpback whalenursery; a critically endangered bilby habitat; and the site of theworld’s longest stretch of dinosaur footprints. The land was acquiredunder threat of compulsory acquisition by the state governmentand it continues to struggle against stern communityopposition and growing national discord.For John Butler, the personal blurs into the political as he translateshis experiences of the place into story and song. He met hiswife on this land, Goolarabooloo country, and it’s where his familycamps. His friend, Traditional Owner Joseph Roe, calls it home.“I went up to the Kimberley for the first time over 10 years ago.I met my wife Danielle there and that’s when my relationshipwith the Kimberley started. She was living on Joseph Roe’s block.I connected to Joe camping and fishing over the years.”6 habitat
Kimberley and the CowboysThe Perth-based musician is a seasoned social and environmentaljustice advocate. The Kimberley is clearly close to hisheart and his guitar gently weeps for it, guiding his storytellingas he weaves fact with a sense of place, injustice, politics andalternative narratives. He is determined to name and shame cowboypolitics.“This is a huge social justice issue — compulsory acquisitionhas been held as a gun to the head of the Traditional Owners. It’san extremely undemocratic process — liberty and law by the stategovernment. The governmentis selling it as everybody deservesjobs. That’s true, butWA citizens have no lack ofjobs, we are giving them away.“This is about the Kimberleyas the next Pilbara. It’s openingthe doors to fully industrialisethe Kimberley. We aretold Indigenous communitiesdeserve access to health, socialservices and education. All citizensdeserve this, it is the mostbasic of human rights to havea house and access to school,but I didn’t have to sell myland to get access to a home orschooling.On all fronts — social,environmental andeconomically, it’s notsustainable. You cangive the facts to a fiveyear-oldto work it out.“Environmentally it will createa 52 kilometre dead zone,the clearing of rare vine thicketsand disturbance to naturalhabitat including bilbies. Theannual return on investmentgoing ahead at James PricePoint is 11 per cent; it’s 15 percent at the alternative NorthWest Shelf. On all fronts — social,environmental and economically,it’s not sustainable.You can give the facts to a fiveyear-oldto work it out.”The politics of the proposed development have found theirway to our federal courts. The community continues to protestwith their bodies, blocking roads forged without formal approval.It recently lured the Sea Shepherd’s ship Steve Irwin awayfrom the Japanese whale slaughter to take action against the stategovernment’s proposed whale genocide.“I got the opportunity to go up in a helicopter with Joe and seethat beautiful coastline from above. I could see the land clearingwithout official permission. I talked to Joe. He was quite upset atthe size of the dam. He mentioned it twice; it’s a big deal if Joe mentionssomething twice. All this on the land his ancestors are buried.”The dissent of the larger Broome community is clear and Butleris determined to bring it to the consciousness of the city. Thelandscape that defines our sense of self, our identity, is at the mercyof resource extraction. He talks about it at gigs,fronts the media and has released the song‘Kimberley.’“The iconic Australian shots we send as postcardsto overseas friends are of the Kimberley.This land is in Australians hearts and minds.It’s a cultural priority. We are dealing withresource-addicted cowboys. It’s overwhelmingat times, yet we have the resolve to do the rightthing. We need a national intervention.”An Australia framed ashappy to put jobs and a dollarbefore culture concerns Butler.It’s an argument that arousesfalse confidence in economicrationalism.The facts paint a bleakerpicture for the local community.The proposed gas hub isexpected to create 6,000 constructionjobs — 85 per centfor fly in fly out workers. Upto 600 operational jobs are expectedwith a 75 per cent FIFOworkforce.“This whole operation isgiving to very little to Broomein terms of jobs and economy.The $700 million tourism industrywill be trashed.“We need to connect the dots.Both federally and at a statelevel this is a voting issue. Itcomes back to politics. Peoplewould be shocked to connectthe photos they have seen ofthe Kimberley with the world’slargest gas plant.”Piping gas to the existingNorth West Shelf is a viable alternative andinternational briefings have been held for theproject’s investors. The strength of oppositionto the project continues to grow, along with aprotest camp at JPP.The local community is onlytoo aware that though the natureof this relaxed coastal townglints gold in the eyes of cowboys,its future is inevitably inthe hands of all Australians.www.acfonline.org.au/kimberleyJosephand JohnFor the full John Butler interview,the ‘Kimberley’ song, photos andvideo download the habitat iPadmagazine at the App Store.habitat7
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