The Guardian reported that although Australia’s Whitehaven Coal Ltd. (ASX:WHC) last week received approval to begin construction at its Maules Creek project, workers walked off the job this morning after over 50 Gomeroi traditional owners picketed the site.

As quoted in the market news:

Gomeroi traditional owner Stephen Talbot says the Maules Creek mine will clear more than 4000 acres of ‘culturally significant forest, artefacts and cultural values’ which have not been properly assessed.
‘The forest contains cultural heritage sites, food sources, and totems of our people, and most of them will be permanently destroyed by the planned mine,’ Talbot said in a statement.
‘There hasn’t been a proper consultation process, the management plan is flawed and we don’t believe that our people have been treated with proper respect or that our concerns about the destruction of cultural heritage have been addressed.’
A Whitehaven spokeswoman, however, said there had been discussions with Aboriginal representative groups since the earliest days of the Maules Creek project.

Click here to read the full report from The Guardian.

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