The future through a 'crystal ball'

When the final decision is made on processing LNG at Prices Point, the week of August (2nd - 7th) 2009 could prove to be very significant. During this time, the Port Authority in Broome negotiated 15 hectares for Woodside to provide a supply base for the Browse Basin gas and Peter Garrett discussed the LNG site at Prices Point with the Traditional owners. Peter Garrett has a long history of rapport with Aboriginal people here in Broome going back to when he performed on the McAlpine PCYC oval over ten years ago.

It seems logical that he would have been very open to the viewpoints presented by the KLC and the Traditional owners who see the LNG project as the window for delivering a range of benefits to the Aboriginal people including housing, health and education.
Peter Garrett will make the final decision in November 2010 and it is also clear that Martin Ferguson, the Federal Minister for Mines and Energy, is fully supportive of using Prices Point for the LNG hub.

The environmental impact study will not be helped by the widespread bush fires that have once again burnt the vine thickets and surrounding bush in the Prices Point area in early August 2009.

The arrival of Lord McAlpine in the mid 80's marked the start of major development in Broome when the population was less than 5000. If the LNG gas hub is given the green light, we can expect another dramatic impact on Broome and the environment, similar to the outcomes experienced in the Pilbara. The population, housing prices and rents will go through the roof and Broome will take on a much more industrial character.

It's a shame that 'progress' demands that the natural environment which has been untouched for millions of years is sacrificed and what we once enjoyed and loved will be gone forever.

Kimberley whale survey shows highest numbers near proposed LNG hub

An aerial whale survey off the Kimberley coast has recorded the highest population numbers of Humpback Whales in the near vicinity of James Price Point - a site proposed for a massive industrial LNG gas processing facility.

The whale survey conducted on the weekend (29/30 August) with the assistance of Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures and The Wilderness Society recorded a staggering 162 Humpback whales in 102 separate pods between Gourdon Bay in the south to the Lacepede Islands in the north, with the highest concentration recorded in the vicinity of the proposed industrial site at James Price Point. (source - Richard Costin and Environs Kimberley)