Murrawah Maroochy Johnson, Indigenous Land Struggle in Queensland

Murrawah Maroochy Johnson against coal mining projects in Australia. As a result he received the Green Nobel award.

ARSIP GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE

Environmental activist representing the indigenous people of Queensland, Australia: Murrawah Maroochy Johnson.

Murrawah Maroochy Johnson (29) stopped a coal mining project that could accelerate environmental damage and climate change and threaten indigenous communities in Queensland, < a href="https://www.kompas.id/label/australia?open_from=automate_body_url">Australia. These women's efforts set a legal precedent in the struggle for the rights of indigenous peoples.

As one of the largest coal exporters, Australia is involved in the operation of coal-fired power plants throughout the world. ''The Land Down Under'' has a large reserve of coal located in the Galilee Basin in Queensland, which reaches 23 billion tons. Environmental activists refer to this place as a "carbon bomb."

We already said no. We will continue to say no, and we will fight until the end.

For centuries, the land of the indigenous community in the area has been systematically seized. An Indian company is in conflict with the indigenous community over the operations of the Carmichael mine. After a nearly decade-long campaign to reject this project failed, the company began extraction activities at the mine in 2021.

Indigenous communities have had to witness the exploitation of natural resources, air and soil pollution, rising sea levels, and desecration of sacred areas in their ancestral lands. Not to mention the issue of carbon emissions trapped underground.

However, in 2019, a coal company in Australia requested the approval of the Queensland Government for the Galilee Coal mega-project. Owned by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, the company is projected to extract 40 million tons of coal annually for 35 years.

Indigenous communities again firmly reject the opening of new mines in the Galilee Basin. If that happens, the mine could destroy the Bimblebox Nature Refuge. This 8,000 hectare nature reserve is the habitat of 176 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, 14 species of amphibians, 83 species of reptiles and 650 species of native plants. Mining will also accelerate climate change by releasing 1.58 billion tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere over its lifetime.

"We said no. "We will continue to say no, and we will fight until the end," said Johnson, quoted from the website goldmanprize.org, Wednesday (1/5/2024). Johnson is one of the winners of the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize which was announced on April 29 2024. This award, known as the Green Nobel, is given to activists or figures at the grassroots who are active in efforts to save the environment despite had to risk his life.

AFP/DAVID GRAY

Two statues of indigenous Australians holding a didgeridoo, a musical instrument, sit in front of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy located outside the Old Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on October 15, 2023.

Johnson is a Wirdi woman from the Birri Gubba people. Her uncle is a prominent cultural figure, Adrian Burragubba. She became an activist at the age of 19 when elders from the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners Family Council, an indigenous governance organization, invited her and her uncle to be the voice of the younger generation in the campaign against the coal company.

There is an intention to alienate indigenous peoples from our human rights, land rights.

Johnson currently serves as a co-director at Youth Verdict, a non-governmental organization that organizes youth around climate change in the region.

Also read: Nalleli Cobo, Stops Oil Drilling in the City

To block the proposal of the Australian coal mining company, Johnson began working. Through Youth Verdict, he campaigned to indigenous communities through social media, traditional stories, and even word of mouth. "There is an intention to isolate indigenous communities from our human rights, land rights," he said.

Johnson also partnered with the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), a public interest law firm, to challenge the Australian coal mining company in the Queensland Land Court. He argued based on the new Queensland Human Rights Act, which recognizes the cultural rights of Indigenous peoples over their traditional territories.

Johnson stated that the coal burning by the Australian coal mining company will emit greenhouse gases and worsen climate change. The project will violate human rights and indigenous culture in Queensland and surrounding areas. As a result, the court agreed to hear testimony from indigenous communities, including those outside of the mining location.

Hear testimony

Despite strong objections from the Australian coal mining company's lawyers, the court agreed to hear testimony in an unprecedented manner. The court heard the opinions of indigenous peoples directly in their territory, aka on country.

Johnson brought court members to Northern Queensland and Torres Strait Islands to meet with witnesses. These witnesses still have familial relationships and have contacted him during his campaign to oppose the presence of the Carmichael mine.

Through stories, songs, and dances, witnesses explain how their environment and cultural knowledge are interconnected. When climate change damages the ecological system, their traditional culture tied to the area is also destroyed. Indigenous communities cannot pass down traditions to their children and grandchildren if, for example, their ancestors' graves are swept away by rising sea levels.

ARSIP GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE

Environmental activist representing the indigenous people of Queensland, Australia; Murrawah Maroochy Johnson

An indigenous elder in the Torres Strait Islands made a poignant statement. "In my culture, we are born from the earth and return to the earth. This island is like my mother, and when I leave, I miss it like I miss my mother. When I think about the climate change that is affecting this island, I mourn for it like I mourn for my mother," he testified.

Johnson reminds us that laws related to the Aboriginal people are based on observations by the nation for thousands of years and an understanding that all natural forces are interconnected. "We have been successful in explaining the reality of the indigenous community's experience of climate change," he said.

In November 2022, the Land Court made a historic decision. The Court recommended that the government reject mining lease applications and environmental authority requests from the Australian coal mining company - an unexpected decision. "There was a collective gasp in the courtroom," said Johnson, describing the surprise at the outcome of the trial.

The decision was based on the contribution of mining to climate change, environmental damage, as well as restrictions on human rights and the culture of indigenous communities. The decision once again defeated the appeal filed by the Australian coal mining company in 2023.

Johnson successfully fought the Australian coal mining company, which cost millions of Australian dollars in this legal case. Meanwhile, he and his colleagues only had the support of pro bono lawyers and fundraising. Johnson took advantage of shared houses, borrowed cars, and managed logistics on a limited budget.

Also read: Jasmine Seymour, Wake Up the Sleeping Dharug Language

The victory sets a precedent so that indigenous peoples can oppose other coal projects by linking climate change to human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples. The trial process in this case also set another precedent, namely that indigenous peoples were able to testify on country or based on traditional knowledge on their own land.

"I love my culture and I love my country. I think there are many things that can be learned from the way we exist. Our task is to speak for the nation because it cannot speak for itself," said Johnson.

Johnson admitted to ABC News that he was afraid that "colonial" projects and climate change would be the cause of the death of indigenous peoples. Therefore, the struggle will continue.

Murrawah Maroochy Johnson

Husband: Johnathon Nandy

Achievements include:

• 50 Fixers List (climate and justice leaders to watch), Grist, 2016
• Young Environmentalist of the Year, Bob Brown Foundation, 2017
• Activist of the Year with Adrian Burragubba, Ngara Institute, 2017
• The Young Voltaire Human Rights Award, Liberty Victoria, 2023