STRONG FOCUS ON COP, CLIMATE and UNIFIED STRENGTH OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

This event was organised by The Australian West Papua Association (SA) (AWPA) supported by Conservation Council of SA and Pacific Islands Council of SA PICSA

The Free Family Event was a community fair – a number of organisations had stalls and presences including:

• Asian Australians for Climate Solutions
• AWPA – environment and political info
• XRSA – flyers, free badges, write climate solutions on our whiteboard – about 8 XR members assisted
• Face painting
• Kid’s activities – focusing on tree kangaroos
• Fijian and Papua New guinea dancers – organised by Tukini Tavui (Fiji) CEO PICSA
• Hindmarsh Greens
• Fusion Party
• Sea Shepherd
• Food trucks

 Channel 9 came to film the dancers

The evening event had about 120 people attending (including more XR members and friends joining) – a good showing in the auditorium. Uncle Moogy welcomed us to country with stories about water sources and connections across country through groundwater.

Chairing the session: Koteka Wenda … the advertised chair was not available but young West Papuan activist-in-exile Koteka Wenda stood in: setting a unifying and gracious tone of welcome, and speaking of her own upbringing and connection to country.

Speakers: all were intensely political and focused on indigenous justice and justice for country. There was a strong focus on the Pacific peoples and on COP31, and the wider interests of millions of first nations peoples.

Arabella Douglas – from Currie Country South-East Queensland/ northern NSW .

Topics:

• Recent appeals to the International Court of Justice on compensation for climate damage, and on recognition of Palestine.
• Strong interest by (so-called) Pacific nations in Aust bid to hold COP31 in Adelaide,
• The stance of Pacific nations in leading the approach on climate.
• History of the greater land mass of SAHUL (New Guinea and Australia were once joined and still share bird and animal and plant species, long history of connection and trading,
• Severe impact of climate – and moves to create unified climate solutions: examples: plant mangroves as sea-protection, and to close down the many extractive industries
• Impacts of climate risk on indigenous people here – opportunities to join with Pacifika peoples. Examples of injustice – poor management of northern rivers.
• Drawbacks – Fed monies received for Native Title compensations and restitutions have conditions so that they cannot be used to sue the Fed Govt.
• Opportunities for appeals to the ICJ (Int Court of Justice) over climate crisis impacts as a violation of human rights. Want to get problems such as Algal Bloom and damage to Murray-Darling basin onto the COP agenda.
• Opportunity for Australia to have a seat on the UN Security Council (although the 5 permanent-seat nations have rights of veto)

Note on ICJ: https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/07/30/international-court-justice-australia-pabai-pabai-torrest-strait-climate-change/

1. Uncles Pabai and Paul of Torres Strait raised a case in the Aust courts, alleging the government had failed to meaningfully address climate change.
2. Students from the University of the South Pacific took a case to the ICJ in 2019 to advise on the obligations of governments to address climate change under international law

Ali (Kenny) Mirin – West Papuan writer and advocate … topics:

• West Papua is arguably the world’s most biodiverse and most threatened region
• Illegal logging, multi-national corporations, military protection … impacts for people: restrict access to forests and food sources – + hunting, medicine
• Destruction of place-identification markers such as large trees – these mark boundaries between tribes and overstepping boundaries leads to inter-tribal conflicts – there are no written records – instead a story-telling system and a land-place/moiety system
• Major corp: MIFEE (Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate)  – land grab … https://www.etan.org/news/2011/mifee.htm  world’s largest deforestation for sugar cane .. clearing of native mangrove, sago, paperbark, wetland destruction, incursion of roads, multi species of frogs, high elevations, fragmented habitats … add climate impacts increased temp and rainfall.
• 50,000 – 60,000 internally displaced people due to Indonesian Military
• Media censorship and communication difficulties – PNG has more than 800 languages.

Rowena – Samoan woman   now living in Adelaide … topics

• Pacifika peoples have contributed least to climate change but have the most serious impacts – example – nuclear waste dump flooded by rising sea levels
• Repressions with all the usual methods – forbidden to use language, students confined to dormitories.
• Climate justice is indistinguishable from land justice.
• The Australian government claims to protect pacific “family” but at the same time rewards and supports “those who would destroy us”.
• Habitat protection needed
• Solution to climate catastrophe is to Speak the Truth
• People in Aust do not know where Samoa is
• People in the Pacific do not know where Adelaide is “is it near Perth?” … but they know it when you say “It’s the place with the Santos HQ”.

Tiani Adamson (Wildlife Conservationist and Young South Australian of the Year 2024)

• Tiani came from the northern Cape York peninsula – her people were forcibly relocated to Darwin. She is now based in Adelaide.
• Focuses research on islands – 5% of landmass, > 20% of biodiversity, extreme speciation due to isolation, but vulnerability to introduced ferals.
• Island and indigenous decision making is more community based, long term and not based on a 4 year election cycle.
• Australian native food businesses are less than 5% owned by indigenous people
• Need to nourish land and sea  – and at the same time each other.