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Australia & Oceania·Human Rights·Energy

Australia's Supreme Court examines gas project threat to ancient Aboriginal rock art

Wednesday, 22 July 2026, 06:48 · 1 min read

Australia's High Court is this week scrutinising the government's approval of a major natural gas expansion in the country's northwest, after indigenous custodians and scientists warned the project is damaging tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal rock art. The Woodside (Australia's largest oil and gas producer) facility at Murujuga, already the country's biggest fossil fuel export hub, was granted an extension until 2070 last September — but traditional owners from the Mardudhunera community say acid emissions from the plant are visibly eroding carvings that include some of the world's oldest depictions of the human face. A government-commissioned statistician who found clear evidence of industrial damage to the rocks says his findings were misrepresented in the official report, and the United Nations special rapporteur on environmental human rights has called on Australia to prevent further harm; a ruling is expected later this year.

Sources
NOS NieuwsOeroude Aboriginal rotskunst bedreigd door Australisch aardgasproject ↗︎
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