A major Australian gas import project was suspended on Thursday after concerns were raised by an Aboriginal official who feared the destruction of important cultural heritage sites by an undersea gas pipeline.
Australia’s Santos, one of the country’s largest oil and gas producers, wanted to build a subsea gas pipeline off the country’s northern coast to transport gas from subsea wells to onshore processing plants.
Simon Munkara, owner of the Tiwi Islands, a sparsely populated group of islands about 80 kilometers off the coast of Darwin in northern Australia, has obtained a court injunction suspending implementation of the project.
The court found that Santos did not adequately consider the damage the pipeline could cause to the cultural sites she cares about.
On November 13, a judge will decide whether construction can resume or whether the matter requires further hearings.
“We take protecting our country seriously,” Mr. Munkara said in a statement released after Thursday’s hearing.
“It is our obligation. I do this for my children so that our culture can be passed on to future generations.”
In a statement sent to the Australian Stock Exchange, Santos claimed to respect “the cultural heritage of the Tiwi people” but stressed that the 260-kilometer gas pipeline did not pose significant risks.
The project envisages it passing close to the Tiwi Islands.
About 90% of these islands’ 2,000 residents are Aboriginal Australians, known for their art, language and passion for Australian football.
The A$5 billion (€3 billion) Barossa gas project has faced delays as opponents raise concerns about its contribution to climate change, its environmental footprint and its impact on areas of cultural significance.
Gas from the offshore Barossa field would be pumped to Darwin where it would be processed and loaded onto tankers for export.
The preservation of Aboriginal sites is under intense scrutiny in Australia after mining company Rio Tinto blew up prehistoric caves inhabited by Aboriginal people more than 46,000 years ago in 2020.