A Western Australian Aboriginal group's request for the environment minister to use emergency powers to intervene in a Pilbara land dispute with Fortescue Metals Group is being considered but there's no timeline on a decision, parliament has heard.
Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert today asked the federal government about the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation's (YAC) claims that sacred sites dating back thousands of years are being damaged at the Firetail mining lease in the miner's Solomon Hub project.
The YAC has called on environment minister Tony Burke to use emergency powers to stop FMG destroying the sacred sites.
During Senate question time, the chamber heard skeletal remains had been found at the site.
Senator Stephen Conroy, representing the minister in the Senate, told the chamber the federal environment department was carefully considering YAC's request.
He said no time frame was available on when the minister would make a decision because there were hundreds of pages of documents to process.
Senator Conroy said Mr Burke would meet with the Aboriginal traditional owners to hear their concerns.
Senator Conroy said it would be inappropriate to comment further while the legal documents were being examined.
In early November, YAC chief executive officer Michael Woodley said he had documentary evidence showing FMG forced heritage consultants to change a report on the cultural significance of the area by threatening to withhold payments.
Mr Woodley said a letter from research firm Eureka Heritage says that a consultant anthropologist employed by FMG had spoken to a breakaway pro-FMG group, who knew nothing about the Firetail site.
In the letter to WA's Registrar of Aboriginal Sites, Eureka's principal archaeologist says "misleading information" from FMG may have influenced decisions without the full cultural significance of the area being known.
The letter claims FMG threatened to withhold payment of outstanding Eureka invoices amounting to $70,000 if a report was not edited.
FMG has rejected the claims, saying it continues to work with Yindjibarndi people to identify Aboriginal heritage sites and it has the support of the majority of Yindjibarndi.
Senator Conroy said the federal government was aware of the letter.
