Traditional Custodians condemn federal funding for controversial fertiliser plant

The cash injection is the latest in hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding already provided to the project.

Josie Alec addressing the crowd at the Murujuga protest in Perth. Credit: Kearyn Cox

A highly controversial fertiliser plant development near Karratha in Western Australia has been granted a $220 million loan from the federal government, the third major loan to benefit the proposal in the past year.

The $4 billion dollar Perdaman Urea Project at Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula), would be the largest plant of its kind in Australia once completed.

But the project has been long criticised by some Traditional Custodians fearful of the risk of harm it could pose to ancient rock art in the area.

Govt defends funding

The plant project has been granted $220 million from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) to assist in its development, but no details were given to clarify which specific part of the development the money would be set aside for.

This loan is on top of two previous funding injections for the project that were announced last year, worth a total of $255 million.

Woodsite development at Murujuga. Credit: Save our Songlines

They consisted of a $160 million loan to the Pilbara Ports Authority for a new multi-user wharf and facilities at the Port of Dampier, and a $95 million loan to the Western Australia Water Corporation so it could expand the Burrup seawater supply and brine disposal scheme.

In a statement, Minister for Northern Australia and Resources Madeleine King said the project would provide a major economic boost for WA.

“The Perdaman plant is expected to provide an $8.5 billion public benefit, supporting a peak of more than 2,500 construction and operations jobs over its 40-year life," she said.

'Concerning and Contradictory'

But Murujuga Traditional Custodian Raelene Cooper, a Mardudhunera woman from the lobby group Save Our Songlines, accused the federal government of ignoring the voices of Aboriginal people.

"The amount of the money the government have pumped in would be enough to move the Perdaman plant off the Burrup to the Maitland industrial estate, where it would not damage and desecrate Murujuga sacred sites," she said.

"This money could have been spent on something that really matters to the community, like health, mental health and housing and homelessness."

Josie Alec and Raelene Cooper have fought against the Perdaman project since it was proposed. Source: Supplied

The announcement comes just a few weeks after the federal government appointed an independent reporter to investigate the impact of industry on Murujuga.

The consultant will do a full cultural heritage assessment of the area before reporting back to environment minister Tanya Plibersek, who will then need to decide whether to grant long-term protection to the area under section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.

"More concerning and contradictory is the government propping up this toxic project when they have just commissioned a full cultural heritage assessment of all industry on the Burrup," Ms Cooper said.

The loan will be provided via the WA state government, and funding will only be released once the project's regulatory requirements and financing conditions have been met.