19 June 2019

Aboriginal native title holders have staged a protest at a remote Kimberley cattle station, claiming the Chinese owners of the lease have destroyed their cultural sites in a major land-clearing operation.

The small group of Nyikina people, who have shared rights to the area, are blockading the entrance to Yakka Munga station, south of Derby, preventing contractors from entering.

The protest follows concern over land clearing at the site by the owners of the pastoral lease, Shanghai Zenith (the Australian arm of Shanghai CRED) Investment Holding Pty Ltd.

...Protest organiser, Rosita Shaw, was close to tears as she explained the significance of the land.

"This foreign company just come to our land, on our back yard, don't even come and negotiate with us," Ms Shaw said.

...The company has declined to comment....

...The Nyikina Mangala people's native title rights over a 26,000 square kilometre...co-existing rights over Yakka Munga.

An Indigenous Land Use Agreement setting out the rights of the pastoralists and the native title holders was signed by Shanghai Zenith in 2016.

The document states that nothing in the agreement "limits the rights of the pastoralist to conduct pastoral activities in the agreement area".

But it also says that the pastoralist must first enter into "good faith negotiations" to ensure that "heritage is protected".

...Pastoralists and Graziers Association president Tony Seabrook said he had met with representatives from Shanghai Zenith and he was convinced that the work was permitted under the terms of the pastoral lease.

...Shanghai CRED is major player in the cattle industry.