IQSRLOW
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http://www.eniar.org/news/independent20.html
The Battle for Cape York
To middle-class greenies in Sydney and Melbourne, however, the idea of economic development on the peninsula is anathema. Sure, indigenous people are entitled to lift their standard of living, they say – provided they stick to conservation-friendly activities such as eco-tourism. But mining, logging, raising cattle – all the industries that have brought white Australians wealth – are out of the question.
A few years ago, the Wilderness Society set off on its own. In 2004, just before the state election, the society reportedly struck a deal with the Labour government. In exchange for green votes, the government promised to declare 19 rivers in Queensland "wild rivers", giving them protected status. It was re-elected, and passed the legislation this year.
Thirteen or 14 of those rivers are on Cape York, and local Aboriginal leaders were furious. The legislation not only affected newly won rights to use the waterways for traditional activities such as hunting, it put a brake on future economic development.
Flushed with success, the Wilderness Society is now campaigning for a "Wild Country" Bill to protect the land between the rivers. But that is not all. They want the entire peninsula – all 34 million acres of it – to be World Heritage-listed.
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