Energy Giants Probed on Commitment to Indigenous Cultural Heritage

Published on August 27, 2024

Major Australian petroleum producers have been pressured about whether they provide “adequate” consultation with Indigenous groups regarding new offshore oil projects. The country’s Senate is investigating a bill imposing stricter requirements on energy firms to consider Indigenous cultural heritage. Under the Protecting the Spirit of Sea Country Bill 2023, energy companies must obtain “free, prior, and informed consent” from Aboriginal groups before environmental plans—which are often implemented as part of a project—are accepted. The consent must also be consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It is worth noting that the bill covers a wide range of cultural heritage issues that could impact oil projects, including underwater, tangible, and intangible heritage....

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