DOCUMENTARY
Walk With Us
Traditional Owners send a powerful message to super funds: stop investing in Santos
Many of Australia’s biggest financial institutions claim to support the rights of Traditional Owners. Yet almost all of them are enabling the destructive plans of Santos by loaning to or investing in this toxic company, which has a track record of failing to gain consent from Traditional Owners for its projects.
This is why Gomeroi and Tiwi Islands Traditional Owners are sending a powerful message to Australian financial institutions: Ditch Santos.
Tell your super fund to stop investing in Santos
Tell your super fund to respect the wishes of Traditional Owners and stop investing in Santos.
Walk With Us tells the story of Gomeroi and Tiwi Islands Traditional Owners coming together to escalate the fight against Santos’ Narrabri and Barossa gas projects. These Traditional Owners have a powerful message for Australia’s super funds: stop investing in Santos and enabling its destructive new gas projects.
For many years, Traditional Owners from Gomeroi Country have fought against Santos’ Narrabri gas project, a plan to build 850 gas wells in the Pilliga Forest near Narrabri, New South Wales. Traditional Owners from the Tiwi Islands have now entered a similar fight against Santos over its offshore Barossa gas project, where the company plans on drilling for gas in Tiwi Islands Sea Country.
Representatives from both Gomeroi and Tiwi Islands communities have made it abundantly clear to Santos that they do not consent to their lands and waters being exploited for gas and that Santos is not welcome. Tiwi Islands Traditional Owners have even taken Santos to the Federal Court for failing to adequately consult with the Tiwi community over its Barossa project.
Despite this strong opposition, Santos is still pushing ahead with the Narrabri and Barossa projects, even going so far as to attempt to extinguish Gomeroi Native Title rights over the Pilliga. Gomeroi Traditional Owners are taking their fight to the Federal Court. The Narrabri project makes it clear that Santos will stop at nothing in the pursuit of climate-wrecking gas, including undermining the rights and wishes of Traditional Owners.
First Nations Campaigners Antonia Burke, Miah Wright and Karra Kinchela observe the Tiwi coastline and Sea Country that will be affected by the impacts of Santos’ destructive, carbon-intensive Barossa Gas field
How super funds are enabling Santos
Many of Australia’s biggest super funds claim to support the rights of Traditional Owners. Yet almost all of them remain invested in Santos and are failing Traditional Owners by letting this company get away with ignoring communities and threatening cultural heritage. Tiwi Islands, Gomeroi and Larrakia Traditional Owners have made it clear this is unacceptable by lodging complaints with Australia’s 20 biggest super funds over Santos’ disregard for human rights.
This is why Traditional Owners are now sending a powerful message to Australia’s super funds: stop investing in Santos and its destruction of Country.
Take action and support Traditional Owners by demanding your super fund ditch Santos and stop enabling its destructive gas projects.
Gomeroi women Miah Wright and Karra Kinchela step within the Sacred Sandstone caves in the Piliga forest. This incredible culturally relevant natural landmark is at risk from Santos’ Narrabri gas project.
Tell your super fund to respect the wishes of Traditional Owners and ditch Santos.
How Australia’s big four banks are enabling Santos
Australia’s big four banks – ANZ, CommBank, NAB and Westpac – all claim to support the rights of Traditional Owners. Yet all of them participated in a loan to Santos related to its dirty Barossa gas project, even while Tiwi Traditional Owners were challenging that project in court. And none of these banks have ruled out further finance for Santos’ destructive new gas plans. The big four banks are failing Traditional Owners by letting this company get away with ignoring communities and threatening cultural heritage. Tiwi Islands Traditional Owners have made it clear this is unacceptable by lodging human rights complaints with 12 banks – including Australia’s big four – over their loans to Santos. Other First Nations, including Gomeroi and Larrakia, are calling on the banks to fulfil their human rights obligations and stop lending to projects that bring about cultural and natural harm to the planet.
This is why Traditional Owners are now sending a powerful message to Australia’s big four banks: stop financing Santos and its destruction of Country.
Tell the banks to stop financing Santos
Tell the big four banks to respect the wishes of Traditional Owners and ditch Santos.
Tell your bank to respect the wishes of Traditional Owners and stop financing Santos.
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