Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Australian Greens) | Hansard source

I've just come back from Larrakia country, Darwin, where I listened to and sat with around 40 traditional owners, senior law people and junggayi. They told me to give you this message: 'We need all of the governments to listen to us. We don't want no fracking in the Beetaloo. This is our land, our future, our water, our life.' Aunty Nancy McDinny told me to tell you fellas to actually go to Borroloola, go drink their water, live like they live and go and give them what they need, because none of you have. You all talk about it in here. None of you have been there. You get to sit here and make decisions for country you don't know and could never know or understand. Traditional owners do not want fracking—not now, not ever. Some of you probably have Aunty Nancy's paintings in your offices. When it comes to actually listening to what she wants for country and community, you're all of a sudden not interested, but you'll rave and rant about your dot paintings, I'm sure. Do not frack the Northern Territory.

We also heard how the Northern Land Council is helping these mining companies, like Santos and Origin, destroy country and water. Both those companies had to be summoned to attend a separate hearing because they flat out refused to look traditional owners in the eye in Darwin. Shame! Traditional owners told us that the Northern Land Council just refuses to hear the word 'no'. Traditional owners have time and time again said no to fracking, no to destruction of country and heritage and no to the poisoning of water. The Northern Land Council is complicit in the lies that gas companies are telling our people. What's worse is that the NLC is meant to be protecting country and working with traditional owners. It's absolutely shameful and disgraceful and disrespectful. The sooner that this parliament investigates the dodgy dealings of these land councils, the better. I say to these dodgy land councils: I'm watching you. Our people are watching you, and we are coming. You are on notice.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my colleagues Senator Cox and Senator McCarthy, who sat with traditional owners, who were part of the story and who were part of listening. How powerful it was to see three deadly, staunch black women senators sitting in front of these people, genuinely listening to what they had to say and genuinely taking on their fight and their voice and bringing it into this place. Thank you, my sisters.

Don't frack the Northern Territory. Respect the traditional owners. Again, if you have a dot painting in your office that you admire each day and you tell your family and your friends about, then maybe look at the story of that dot painting, because you're killing the person who painted it. You're killing the land of the people who painted them. You're taking their children, and you're doing all you can to destroy everything that they are and everything that their country means to them. Give up your dot paintings or don't frack the NT—it's pretty simple. I urge all of you senators with the dot paintings to go back and have a look at them. If you don't take them down, I hope they haunt you.