Show your support for the for the Dampier Rock Art Precinct by writing to Senator, the Hon. Malcolm Turbull, Minister for the Environment and Heritage and the Premier of Western Australia.

When writing consider the following points.

·         The Dampier Archipelago is a unique ecological and archaeological area on the north western coast of Western Australia. It contains one of the world's largest and most important collection of petroglyphs - the Murujuga - ancient rock carvings dating back as far as the last ice age; and now appears to be severely under threat from industrial activity.

• Though this place has been subjected to some extensive planning processes over the last twenty years, none have adequately addressed the cultural heritage significance of the area.
• There has been no comprehensive inventory or heritage assessment of the rock art or other cultural materials of the whole of the Dampier Archipelago
• Through these planning processes and despite the absence of a comprehensive inventory or heritage assessment of cultural materials 38% of the place has been set aside for industrial development.
• These planning processes have led to a multiplicity of management plans and management bodies for the archipelago which serve to arbitrarily compartmentalise what is essentially a single continuous cultural landscape.
• Since 1972 at least 4000 individual pieces of rock art have been destroyed.
• Woodside Petroleum in their latest development, Pluto, has begun removing rock art and has sought further permission to destroy or relocate rock art through the Western Australian Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972. Very few applications have been declined in the past.

• Key elements of a solution are;

• open and transparent communication with all stakeholders;

o        comprehensive inventory of the rock art and archaeological sites of the area;

o        the development of a single holistic management plan and a means to monitor the management of the place to the satisfaction of all stakeholders; that will meet the requirements of National Heritage Listing and World Heritage Listing.

o        dedicated fund to support  the management process;

o        independent committee to oversee the implementation and evaluation of the management plan.