13-11-2014 The NSW State Government has announced it will extinguish all 16 existing petroleum exploration licence (PEL) applications as it works on a new framework for gas exploration. This includes six applications by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council for exploration in parts of the state’s far west and Riverina region.
The State government reckon that this process will enable them to identify the most appropriate areas for gas extraction, ensure community consultation is conducted upfront and put the title area out for public expressions of interest. A few days after the initial decision the State government decided the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council will receive the first right to re-apply if it falls within the new approved zones for gas activities. Read the articles on the ABC on 19 and 21 November
Wake Up Time Comment: The criteria in decisions to withdraw existing processes and implement amendments should be whether the law applies to every Australian in the same way. If the 6 licenses of the Aboriginal Land Council are treated identically to the ten other existing licenses, than that is fine. In that case, these articles should be written as ‘gas exploration’ articles. Not as Aboriginal subjects. If there is a difference, than the law is racist.