The Windarling Action Collective is a diverse network of Western Australians who are building bridges between communities across the state that have an interest in the preservation and integrity of culture and country.
Our work incorporates a blend of political lobbying, legal action, public awareness raising, corporate campaigning, movement building, research and respect for all sides of the debate.
Our objective is not to put Portman or other companies out of business or cost jobs. Responsible mining has its place. But it is our firm belief that the long-term survival of regional communities depends on moving away from purely extractive industries and developing new ways (or remembering old ways) of making a livelihood from the land.
The Windarling Range is a unique ironstone landform situated around 450 km east of Perth, Western Australia. It is one of a number of far-flung biodiversity islands scattered across the Yilgarn region, on the edge of the arid zone.
Portman Mining Limited holds Windarling and the nearby Jackson Range under mining tenement, and is proposing to mine both areas for iron ore, starting early in 2004. The mining proposals are quite well advanced and have been under study for a number of years. The Environmental Protection Authority recommended that mining not be allowed at Windarling, on the basis of geo-heritage and the presence of endangered plant species.
According to traditional Aboriginal law people, Windarling is a sacred women’s place, and an integral strand of the dreaming tracks that run from the Swan River through the Central Desert and into Queensland. Destruction or disturbance of such places has important consequences both for the environment and for the people entrusted with its care.