Would the Egyptians knock down the Pyramids? : Melbourne Indymedia

Dear friends,

Take a moment to imagine a cultural icon six times older than the Pyramids, eight times older than Stonehenge. Imagine probably the earliest surviving rock carvings on this planet: close to a million images of ancient faces and our earliest fauna, including the mighty Tasmanian tiger, spread throughout a group of small islands alongside the west coast of Australia.

Most Australians have never even heard of these rock carvings on the Burrup Peninsula - and have no idea this silent world treasure is at risk of being needlessly pulled apart and destroyed from blind industrial development. But we can tell Australia's Environment Minister now that we want to save the remaining rock art from further destruction, and help Burrup become what it should be: one of the world's most well-known and safely-visited heritage sites.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveOurHeritage

Burrup, or Murrijuga by its Indigenous name, also happens to be the site of a liquefied natural gas plant (LNG), an operation jointly owned by the largest petrochemical companies in the world and managed by Woodside Energy Ltd. It's a $20 billion venture, which currently provides almost two-thirds of WA's gas supply and export. But Woodside now has plans to expand on their own, with a new LNG facility set to cut straight through this prehistoric university.

So far, at least 10,000 rock carvings have already been lost from uncontrolled development. New industrial plans could lead to the loss of thousands more, with federal and state government authorities admitting up to 40 per cent of the rock art could be dismantled or destroyed to accommodate expansion. It's like splitting Stonehenge or the Pyramids in half, drilling for oil and packing the nicest bits in a nearby quarry.

The truth is, we don't have to choose between destruction or development. Experts agree new gas can still be extracted offshore, but processed at a different location. If enough of us speak up now we can save the remaining rock art without dampening the economic development of Western Australia's growing industry.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveOurHeritage

Thankfully, Australia's Federal Minister for Environment and Heritage, Ian Campbell, is now calling for public submissions on whether to grant the Burrup Peninsula national heritage-listing status. This would immediately open the way for a world heritage listing - the World Monument Fund has placed the rock art on its list of 100 most endangered heritage sites. But because so few Australians have ever heard of Burrup, much less Senator Campbell's timely call for submissions, it could be destroyed before the world ever gets the opportunity to appreciate it.

Now advocates of a 'win-win' solution for Burrup and our economy include the most unlikely allies: a former Labor Premier of WA and a former Liberal Minister for State Development both argue Burrup should become a heritage site, with further development moved to more economically profitable locations and traditional custodians consulted.

We have a once in a generation opportunity to rise above old, unimaginative thinking to save an Australian and world heritage treasure. Submissions are due in a matter of days: this is the moment we can give Australia's richest, unknown island the chance for a different future. Click on the link below to be part of GetUp's submission, and you can also write your own.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveOurHeritage

Thank you for taking action today that will matter to generations far into the future,

The GetUp team

PS: In the past week GetUp members have flexed your muscle and even we've been amazed. Your response to our David Hicks Billboards for Justice campaign has shown that each of us chipping in a little adds up to a lot. And thanks to this spirit of courage and community, we're booking our first people-powered billboards right now in Adelaide and Sydney. We'll have photos and exact details on our website as soon as we have 100 per cent confirmation. Thank you, and stay tuned!