At meetings held on April 7, 12 and 13 all the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Jabiluka area agreed to the following statements with regard to the Boyweg-Almudj Sacred Site Complex:
The Boyweg-Almudj Sacred Site Complex (which includes the Boyweg- Almudj site, the Boyweg-Bagaloi site, the dreaming track between these two sites and other sites of significance) is a sacred and dangerous area which should not be disturbed on the surface or underground.
The sacred sites within and associated with the Boyweg-Almudj Sacred Site Complex have existed for untold generations and their integrity is essential to the survival of Aboriginal culture in present and future generations.
The access tunnel being constructed for the proposed Jabiluka uranium mine is now in the immediate vicinity of the Boyweg-Almudj Sacred Site Complex and must stop immediately in order to avoid desecration of sacred sites with catastrophic consequences for local Aboriginal people.
Assertions made by the Northern Land Council in the 1982 Jabiluka Mining Agreement that there are no sacred sites in the area of the Jabiluka minesite are incorrect.
Such assertions were made by the Northern Land Council without consulting with key Senior Custodians for the Jabiluka area.
In particular the Primary Custodian for the Jabiluka area has informed the Northern Land Council, mining companies and other officials on many occasions that the sacred sites within the Boyweg-Almudj Sacred Site Complex should not be disturbed.
That the Senior Traditional Owner who “consented” to the 1982 Agreement did so under duress and later informed Senior Custodians that the area should not be disturbed because of dangers associated with sacred sites.
There are a number of burial sites in the area of the Jabiluka minesite which remain unknown to non-Aboriginal people.
The Senior Custodians and Traditional Owners who have attended and/or been identified at the meetings of April 7, 12 and 13 are the only Aboriginal people who are permitted under Aboriginal law to speak about sacred sites on the Jabiluka land and have spoken with one voice about the need to protect the Boyweg-Almudj Sacred Site Complex.
The Senior Traditional Owners and Custodians for the Jabiluka land call on local Aboriginal organisations, the Northern Land Council, the Australian Government and all other concerned citizens and organisations to support our urgent demand to protect sacred sites within and associated with the Boyweg-Almudj Sacred Site Complex.