By Saffron Howden
JABIRU, NT — About 300 protesters congregated outside Energy Resources of Australia's (ERA) Jabiluka mineral lease site on September 29 to send a final pre-election message to voters that the proposed uranium mine should be stopped.
The action was a focus of the "Strong Country Celebration Week", from September 26 to October 3, organised by the national Jabiluka alliance and the Jabiluka blockade located within the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.
The week of celebrations drew a wide variety of people from around Australia to the blockade camp. They were invited and greeted by the Mirrar people, the traditional owners of the land on which the mining lease is located.
The action was a peaceful demonstration against the uranium mine and in support of the Mirrar, who are opposed to its construction. About 100 people walked onto the lease; 93 were arrested for trespassing and giving false names.
The protesters wore John Howard masks. When police asked for their names and addresses, those arrested declared: "John Howard, Parliament House". This demonstrated the Liberal leader's intrusion on the Mirrar people's country.
In extreme heat, the gathering danced, sang and chanted, "Hey, John! You're running out of time. You're never going to get your Jabiluka mine."
Those who walked onto the lease almost reached the compound gates, about 11 km from the main road, before being arrested and transported to Jabiru police station 25 km away.
Most of those arrested continued to identify themselves as the Liberal prime minister until late afternoon, when they provided police with their real names and were released.
Senior Sergeant Alan Thompson of Jabiru police station described the protesters as "very well behaved" with "a legitimate reason to protest".
The calm was disrupted when a van containing about 10 people drove through the crowd and over the lease gate in the late morning. According to a spokesperson for the blockade, this action "was not Mirrar-approved and not condoned by the [blockade] camp".
Throughout the week, visitors to the camp were taken onto the lease by Mirrar people and representatives of the Gundjehmi Aboriginal Corporation, an organisation established to represent the wishes and rights of the Mirrar clan. The Mirrar senior traditional owner, Yvonne Margarula, acted as a guide, explaining some of the Aboriginal rock art in the area and the way the Mirrar use the land, flora and fauna.
Despite a lack of resources and the difficult conditions under which the blockade has operated, it has succeeded in making Jabiluka a household name.
When asked the direction that the Jabiluka campaign would take if Labor, which promised to stop the mine, was elected on October 3, Jabiluka alliance spokesperson Sara Krishnapillai said the campaign would "step up a notch" with "an increase in momentum" and "involve more people in finding out about the environmental and human rights implications of the Jabiluka proposal".