Kuranda Skyrail Protest

Recently, I've had the opportunity to be a part of the community campaign
against the Kuranda Skyrail. This campaign is significant for the Australian
Nonviolence Network in that it is one of the first times that a community
group has asked the ANN specifically for help in setting up and organising
its campaign. 

The campaign was initiated by a group of local residents who were concerned
about the impact of the Skyrail on the World Heritage area that it would
traverse. The Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC) assisted the
formation of the group giving it access to some office resources, support and
advice. 

(For a detailed account of the history of the early part of the anti- Skyrail
campaign, see the report by Tiffany... at the Centre for Nonviolence, c/o
Commonground)

The members of the group had only minimal experience in campaigning and in
late1993 members of the Australian Nonviolence Network offered nonviolence
education. This was taken up by the group, by now five months active as
People Against Kuranda Skyrail (PAKS). Kevin Thomasson and Bryan Law
conducted a three day workshop over three weeks. This served to bind the
group and give it some skills to undertake a nonviolent action campaign. This
would include "forest defence" actions if construction of Skyrail begun. 

There were grand plans for further ANN involvement (a three week leadership
and affinity group action workshop1) however these never eventuated due to
the present small size of the Network and the way we are spread out over a
rather large continent.

I joined the campaign in May as construction dates fast approached. My first
role was naturally as nonviolence educator as that is what I like doing and
also what I am good at. It is also a easy way of slotting into a campaign as
an outsider. But I also looked for other roles that would be useful given my
skills and the needs of the campaign.

I helped lead another workshop of "advanced skills" for people who were
intending becoming an active part of the "forest defence" part of the
campaign. This included sessions on overall campaign strategy, facilitation
skills, the importance of emotional de-briefing, police liaison, media work.
I also disseminated written information about past campaigns.

The second day of the workshop was devoted to trying out forest defence
equipment and a roleplay at an actual Skyrail tower site. We also used this
time for the formation of a new group the Wildlife Action Group (WAG) which
would be in charge of the "forest defence" part of the campaign.

By now several different groups were involved in the campaign. There was PAKS
and WAG, CAFNEC, and a nominal interest by the Wilderness Society. The
Aboriginal people of the Djabugay land that the Skyrail would traverse were
becoming increasingly involved and vocal about the issue. And the Rainforest
Aboriginal Network were also interested.

Around this time there was a move to form these groups into the "Wet Tropics
Defence Council". This would be an overall campaign strategy discussion group
with two members each from the participating groups. The Council would also
make joint statements in support of the forest defence actions. But only the
Wildlife Action Group would actually coordinate these actions. 

This structure was facilitated by the code of ethics that had been undertaken
by the Wildlife Action Group. The code had an explicit commitment to
nonviolence and included a campaign behavioural guide. In essence the other
groups committed to support the direct action campaign with trust that it
would remain nonviolent. 

In a way this council was mainly a public relations exercise that gave
legitimacy to the forest defence campaign. But it was crucial strategically
in terms of the alliance. It locked in the support of the wider more
"mainstream" environment groups who were reacting from their long term views
and shared concern about inappropriate tourist development in the region.

This structure has certain strengths that other coalitions I have seen do not
have.

Strengthening the alliance between the Environment Movement and the Djabugay
Land Rights Movement.
On arrival I viewed this campaign as a simple "Environment Movement" campaign
but as I moved into understanding the issues and energies of the campaign I
gradually began to see the complexities and cross currents of a whole range
of social change movements. People from all sorts of backgrounds, class and
culture were involved and people were involved for all sorts of reasons. 

I decided to take on another role. A few people in the non-Aboriginal
community had expressed interest in increasing and diversifying contact with
the local Aboriginal community- especially the Djabugay people as the
traditional owners of the land. There was already fairly close communication
with some members of the Djabagay Tribal Council as well as with a couple of
significant members of the community.

At the end of the second PAKS meeting I went to, I met Joyce Riley, a local
Djabugay woman - a middle elder. I asked simply whether there was a women's
Council. She told me no. And that women in the community knew little about
Skyrail. They were spread amongst a number of settlements along the Barron
River. She suggested that I go visiting with her to talk to them, to see who
we could get involved in a women's comittee.

We first went to visit the settlement of Mantaka, three of us Skyrail women
and Joyce. Joyce went to another of the settlements to pick up whoever wanted
to come. Then about seven of us had an informal talk about Skyrail and
discussed who else would be good to get involved and what might happen next.
There was much laughter and joking about it being women' s business -
"women's lib" - and it was clear that most of the women who attended that day
already took leadership in the community. They saw it as an excellent
opportunity for getting new women taking leadership roles. 

The Djabugay women wanted another meeting like this but with more women
involved. So we set a day and a place and it happened. This time there were
about seven non-Aboriginal women and eight or nine Djabugay. I was rather
surprised this time when Joyce turned up with Ruby Hunter who was in the
Cairns region doing a benefit concert for The Wilderness Society.

Again we first talked a bit about Skyrail and heard what each person's
thinking was. The overwhelming response was that they were sick of tourists
in their town and tired of not having basic infrastructure and services to
actually meet the needs of the local Aboriginal people.

There was also talk about the Wildlife Action Group and the forest defence
actions. This discussion became a chance to explore ideas and feelings
related to taking some sort of public action. They wanted to know more about
what was planned and began to imagine taking part. It was suggested that a
walk in the country which would be affected by the Skyrail would help people
imagine better what was going on.

Talk of the direct action camp sparked ideas of a women's camp organised just
by us - the Murri women and the non-Murri women together. Ruby Hunter spoke
up and inspired people by saying we could call it a women's spirit camp - a
Jalbul Spirit Camp. This she said would quickly and easily define the spirit
and intention of such a camp as well as its purpose to protect sacred land.
She also indicated that she would be able to raise support from women in the
South. ("We have friends in the South in the Cities and Towns") 

And then I asked what they would like to see happen next. "A bigger
gathering!! - More women involved". We decided to hold an evening around the
campfire out at Mona Mona "mission". We decided on a day (despite PAKS
meeting and despite darts!) and we agreed to come and to bring other women
with us. 

An excellent suggestion from Rhonda Brim on the first day we met was that the
non-Aboriginal women should make friends with the Aboriginal women and
encourage them to take leadership. So on this occasion we each took partners
and agreed to ring each other up for things and look after each other.

The night at Mona Mona was brilliant. Mona Mona was a strong part of Djabugay
history. People had been forced there in the 1910's but forced off again in
the 1950's. Now many Djabugay want to move back there to live but there are
few permanent buildings because the Government won't give permits. They still
intend to dam the creek and flood the land. But some people live there and
some go for the school holidays. It's beautiful country. 

That night I arrived late. Already there was a great fire and as I watched it
into the night I marvelled that this was a fire with a history. It was fire
the Djabugay had been building for centuries. 

By 10.30 p.m. the car load arrived after darts and they organised us to
settle in a big circle around the fire. There were thirty to thirty-five of
us. Old and young, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, parents and non-parents.

We slowly and solemnly went round the whole circle, each giving our name and
our reason for being against Skyrail. Every woman spoke. It was extremely
moving to hear so many different and deep reasons from so many women; many of
whom (including the European women) had not been involved in the issue up
till this point. 

"So what do you want to do next then?" I asked. And we moved in to a
disguised late night action planning session; at least it didn't look much
like action planning I had been in before. 

Many ideas came from around the circle around the fire: a walk to the
affected area, more gatherings to get more women involved, a march in
Kuranda, the Spirit Camp. We spoke a little about the energy, the feeling of
such an event. Carol Riley spoke eloquently saying that what ever we did
should come from a strong place inside us. So that we appeared serious and
strong. 

This however was not the right time to come to a particular decision. There
were lots of feelings: hope, fear, excitement, happiness. The Djabugay women
needed more time to feel the whole thing through. This was a little
frustrating for the PAKS women who had been preparing themselves for direct
confrontation through nonviolent action for six months. And as the
construction day approached some were giving in to feelings of urgency and
dispair. These feelings clouded thinking a little that night as some of us
tried to push our Murri friends beyond what they were ready for. 

So we finished just by singing and dancing together around the fire and then
talking till 4 a.m., sharing stories and laughter into the night. We all
realised that this evening was in itself an important occasion as the two
communities built new webs of relationships. And in addition the Murri women
never meet just as women and this felt good too.

Later that week, when construction did begin and a forest defence camp was
set up, four Murri women joined us for the first night including the
chairperson of Mona Mona and another Elder. It was the women that went for a
long walk to Red Peak and Murri women that sat down in one of the tower sites
to stop logging. And it was those same women that were dragged off site by
the police.

Cultural awareness workshop
The second role I took on in building the alliancewith the Djabugay peoplewas
to help organise a workshop to "open communication between the Aboriginal
people and the non-Aboriginal people concerned about issues of the land". I
took this on after hearing from both groups that it would be a good thing to
happen and after Djabugay man George Riley had indicated that he would be
willing to co-facilitate such an event.

George had attended the forest defence nonviolence workshop that the Wildlife
Action Group had run in mid June and he had some experience in running
Aboriginal cultural workshops. 

The workshop was a great success. It was a place to talk about meanings of
the land: past, present and future. We heard from Djabugay elder Enid Boyle
speak of the pain of the cultural dislocation and her experience of mission
life. And we heard from Andy Duffin, Chairperson of the Djabugay Tribal
Corporation talk about the aspirations, the hopes and the realities of
Aborignal people. 

Again the overwhelming response was that people wanted more. And they will
hold another get-together, this time camping with a campfire on the banks of
the Barron River under the Mareeba Shire Council new "No Camping" sign.

What will happen next in the Skyrail campaign is yet to be determined. The
campaign goes for at least another year through the construction process. The
Djabugay have a land claim in and may take out an injunction (at great
expense). The people who are in charge of World Heritage business, the
ACIUCN, have said they will make a scene about Skyrail in Australia and
overseas. 

And the people on the ground in Kuranda will persist in empowering their
community so they feel like they can control what goes on in their town. In
doing so they will become an example to and then educators of a quickly
growing grassroots resistance movement in North Queensland.
Margaret Pestorius
Footnote:
1. Kuranda Skyrail: Locals in Training for NvDA, Bryan Law, NvT #37, pp3-4.