Give Us a Break


		Some Indigenous voices on the Wild Rivers initiative: Gina Castelain, Director of Wik Projects, Wik-Waya Traditional Owner. "From our point of view, we don't see any way in which wild rivers is going to cost any jobs, and we actually see ways in which it can create jobs" ~ The Australian, 9 Jun 09 Elders of Uniting Church Congregation of Aurukun. "It is of great comfort to us that there are people within the Queensland Government who care deeply about the preservation of our beautiful rivers and wetlands and who also want to listen to indigenous voices speaking out about important issues that effect our indigenous life so profoundly." ~ Letter to Queensland Minister Craig Wallace regarding the Archer Basin Wild River declaration proposal, 17 Nov 08 Greg McLean, Mayor of Hopevale. "Wild Rivers legislation won't affect communities unless they are planning major developments like refineries." ~ WIN TV News Cairns, 17 Jul 09 ~ Terry O'Shane, Northern Queensland Land Council Chairman."I don't agree with Noel. I think it's very important that we protect these ecosystems." ~ The Australian, 17 Nov 07 ~ Murrandoo Yanner, Gangalidda Traditional Owner. "Healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our people - everything depends on that. Water for drinking, fish for eating - we have to protect this for our children's children ... the Government shouldn't cave in to the scaremongering of those mining and agriculture mobs." ~ Media release, 23 Jun 09 ~ David Claudie, Chairman of Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation, Northern Kaanju Traditional Owner."The whole Wenlock River and its tributaries have enormous cultural significance as the Creator of all of Kuuku I'yuNgaachi under the umbrella of Pianamu (Rainbow Serpent). We are obliged under Kaanju law and custom to 'look after' our Ngaachi in a sustainable manner. In return our Stories, which are the land, will look after us physically, culturally and spiritually." ~ Submission into Wenlock Basin Wild River declaration proposal, 28 May 09 ~ Gavin Bassani, Lama Lama Traditional Owner."The legislation is not there to block you from doing stuff, it's there to initially protect the environment, rather than us going out willy-nilly and chopping up the whole environment." ~ Bush TV - "Wild Rivers", Jul 08 ~ Richard Barkley, Tanquith Traditional Owner. "As well as better protection for the environment [with Wild Rivers legislation], there will also be more jobs" ~ Western Cape Bulletin, 18 Jul 07 ~ William Busch, Mapoon Traditional Owner. "The miners and the Government have to work together to see how they could do something to not try and damage the rivers, and even our people ourselves have to do it." ~ Bush TV - "Wild Rivers", Jul 08

Give Us a Break is a public interest and information website which exposes the anti-Wild Rivers ("Give Us a Go") campaign of Noel Pearson and Tania Major for what it really is: an attempt to mislead the public, derail sensible protection and management of Cape York's rivers, and strike fear into Indigenous communities with blatantly innacurate information about the status of Indigenous rights under Queensland's Wild Rivers initiative.

Our goals:

Expose the misinformation coming from the Give Us a Go campaign,

Provide factual information about the Wild Rivers initiative,

Ensure communities can make informed choices about protecting free-flowing rivers and wetlands from destructive development.

The Wild Rivers initiative is right for Queensland because it:

Protects pristine waterways across the state,

Prevents destructive development in rivers and wetlands,

Supports Native Title and can address issues of consent where appropriate,

Includes legal water entitlements and allocations for Indigenous communities,

Employs Indigenous Wild River Rangers,

Promotes clean, green industries and enhances sustainable enterprise.

Queensland is lucky to retain some of the world's healthiest natural river systems. To ensure their long-term protection, Wild River declarations are in place already in the Gulf Country, and Hinchinbrook and Fraser Islands as well as parts of Cape York, with more to come on the Cape and Western Queensland.

Give Us a Go campaign - misinformation and facts.

Misinformation	Facts
Wild Rivers stops the building of tourism lodges	Wild Rivers does not stop the construction of buildings such as tourism lodges.
Wild Rivers will lead to the banning of traditional hunting and fishing (pdf)	All Native Title rights are confirmed in the Wild Rivers Act, including the traditional rights to hunt and fish. What's more, preventing dams, industrial irrigation and mining in the rivers ensures there continues to be plenty of fish and crabs in the first place!
The Indigenous Wild River Rangers are "green welfare"	The Indigenous Wild Rivers Rangers are full-time waged positions run by local Indigenous service providers, creating real jobs, and are not part of any welfare program.
There has been no consultation with Indigenous people	Since 2004 there has been ongoing consultation with communities and Indigenous organisations about Wild Rivers, including close negotiations with Noel Pearson. The Balkanu Development Corporation, led by Gerhardt Pearson, received $70,000 from the Queensland Government to partner with them to run a recent round of Indigenous consultations.
Wild Rivers is silent on weeds and feral animals	Wild Rivers prevents high risk weed species being planted in sensitive environments. The Indigenous Wild River Rangers are already removing highly invasive weeds and feral animals, such as feral pigs, rubbervine and sicklepod.
Wild Rivers is a National Park (pdf)	Wild Rivers is a planning scheme that applies to all land tenures – it does not change the tenure or ownership of the land. Unlike a National Park, activities such as grazing, fishing, sustainable enterprise and building private infrastructure occur under Wild River declarations.
Wild Rivers was a "sleazy" election deal in 2009	Based on ideas originating from the Australian Heritage Commission in the mid-1990s, the Labor Party in Queensland committed in 2004 to protecting the state's Wild Rivers. The Wild Rivers Act was enacted in 2005, and the Queensland government has now been to three elections with Wild Rivers policy commitments.
There are no threats to Cape York's rivers	Strip mining for bauxite and sand is a major threat to the health of Cape York's rivers. There is also a push for large-scale irrigation schemes, including biofuels. Invasive weeds, feral animals, changed fire regimes and climate change are major threats.
Wild Rivers doesn't stop mining	In a declared Wild River area, strip mining is not allowed in or near rivers and wetlands. An example where this protection has been effective is the Aurukun wetlands in the Archer River Wild River area, which has been targeted by sand mining companies. Unfortunately there is a future bauxite mine exempt from Wild Rivers – a legal problem that conservationists and Traditional Owners are seeking to fix.
Wild Rivers ignores Indigenous people's environmental stewardship	The Indigenous Wild River Ranger program is a direct recognition of the wealth of skills and knowledge held by local Indigenous people, who are now exercising their stewardship back on country, with huge benefits for the land, themselves and their families.

For more facts, click here for a Wild Rivers information guide produced by the Queensland Government for Indigenous communities (pdf)

This website is administered by the Wilderness Society (Qld) Inc. www.wilderness.org.au/queensland