Jubilee Australia's report on the proposed Frieda River Mine in Papua New Guinea

Small child living in the Sepik river area of Papua New Guinea - Photo:bigstock.comSmall child living in the Sepik river area of Papua New Guinea - Photo:bigstock.com

Jubilee Australia Research Center engages in research and advocacy to promote economic justice in communities in the Asia-Pacific region and accountability for Australian corporations and government agencies operating there. Through research and targeted advocacy, Jubilee Australia looks at the negative impacts that Australian corporations have on human rights, the environment, and climate change in the region. 

Jubilee Australia grew out of an international movement that was rooted in the principle of global economic justice. For over a decade, campaigners in the Global South had long demanded debt cancellation since being rocked by the 'third world debt crisis' of the 1980s. St Columban's Mission Society was one of the many groups that came together to establish Jubilee Australia.

Together with Project Sepik, the Jubilee Australia Research Center has published a report on the dangers posed by the proposed Frieda River mine to the Sepik River and urged its rejection by the Papua New Guinean government authorities. Project Sepik is a not-for-profit organisation based in Papua New Guinea that has been working in the Sepik region since 2016. Project Sepik advocates for the vision of a local environment with a sustained balance of life via the promotion of environmentally sustainable practices and holding to account those that are exploiting the environment. 

We need to bring this message out to the world: That, this is not only Papua New Guinea's river and rainforests, but Papua New Guineans are custodians of something that must belong to the world.'   

The report is titled The Sukundimi Walks Before Me, in reference to the river spirit that Sepik people believe dwells in and protects the river. The Sepik River is one of the most important river systems in Papua New Guinea and the Asia-Pacific Region, and its catchment area is home to 400,000 people. 

The report outlines six key reasons why the Frieda River mine should not go ahead, including: 

  1. the irreplaceable environmental and cultural value of the region;  
  2. glaring inadequacies of the environmental impact statement (EIS);  
  3. the threat posed by a potential failure of the tailings dam;  
  4. the inappropriateness of the alternative to a tailings dam, Deep Sea Tailings Disposal;  
  5. the lack of consent of the Sepik communities;  
  6. the similarities between the Frieda River Mine and other environmental disasters in PNG, particularly the Ok Tedi mine and the Panguna mine.  

Dr Luke Fletcher, Executive Director of Jubilee Australia Research Centre, said: 'The Supreme Sukundimi Declaration last year showed that opposition to this mine is universal and widespread along the river: there is simply no way for this project ever to achieve free, prior and informed consent. Moreover, expert analysis detailed in our report has confirmed what the people already know: the mine will not be safe, cannot be safe. The enormous scale of the mine and tailings, in a mountainous area with high rainfall and high seismic activity, together mean that the mine poses unacceptable risks to the Sepik people and wildlife.' 

Emmanuel Peni, Coordinator of Project Sepik, said: 'This must be a world river. This must be a World Heritage Area. We need to bring this message out to the world: That, this is not only Papua New Guinea's river and rainforests, but Papua New Guineans are custodians of something that must belong to the world.'  

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