Caught in the act - this is a record of a supposed 'native title' meeting staged by the iron ore miner, Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). It shows how FMG, its agents, a lawyer and an opportunist splinter faction tried to destroy the unity of the Yindjibarndi people and give open slather to FMG for its Solomon Hub project. The video demonstrates the unscrupulous actions of a miner trying to bully traditional owners into a land use 'Agreement' that will see massive disturbance of country and will swindle several generations of Yindjibarndi people.
"The video must be watched to see quite clearly the brutal divide and rule tactics that are used by paying a break-away group to confound the traditional owners who want a fairer outcome for their people. The gross bullying tactics of the elders is quite evident and will shock you". Ray Jackson, President
Indigenous Social Justice Association.
Stop mining company rorts of Native Title – Save us from Twiggy Forrest/FMG
Across Australia cashed-up mining companies packing teams of lawyers, anthropologists and ‘Indigenous Land Access Managers’ are buying off and dividing impoverished Indigenous groups that refuse to sign away their country.
One of the worst offenders, Twiggy Forrest’s FMG, is currently pressuring the Yindjibarndi community (Pilbara, WA) into signing over control of their native title lands on open-ended, blank-cheque terms that will steal from generations of Yindjibarndi people. While governments turn a blind eye, FMG’s assault is intensifying as it pushes for unfettered land access for its Solomon Hub project – at the terrible cost (collateral damage!) of a bitterly ruptured community.
getup.org.au/forums
See Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation website for more information
FMG edits history
while video of Twiggy’s “superb” native title meeting taken down
Tom Cowie Crikey 13 April 2011
A Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) PR spinner has been editing the Wikipedia page of the mining giant, while a video entitled "FMG's Great Native Title Swindle" uploaded by Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation expressing their concern over a native title meeting was deleted last night by host Vimeo.
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Comments
Twiggy and his band of henchman
fmg of course is the fortescue metals group run by twiggy and his band of henchman.
henchman! that's a bit strong i hear you say. well, no it's not. this 'true friend of the aborigines' is most certainly not that at all.
twiggy forest is nothing more than an old style robber baron, in the ilk of lord vestey and lang hancock of wittenoom asbestos fame. profit was the only game in town regardless of workers life or limb. aboriginal workers were used, abused and then cast aside when things got unprofitable.
this is twiggy's game as well. whilst he makes much of his 'heartfelt friendship with the aborigines' his bottom line is massive super-profits for himself and his greater loved shareholders. his only love for the blackfella is his need for cheap labour, relatively speaking. why hire a white man when you can get a black man for $20 000 to $30 000 less. smart economics to make profit plus by employing aborigines at cheaper wages.
the video must be watched to see quite clearly the brutal divide and rule tactics that are used by paying a break-away group to confound the traditional owners who want a fairer outcome for their people. the gross bullying tactics of the elders is quite evident and will shock you. time after time the meeting is divided and used to get what twiggy lusts for - cheap and pitiful compensation, amounting to something like 0.05% of the profits as long as fmg is given open slather to their lands and resources.
fmg will have full control of the traditional lands to do with whatever they wish. block rivers, destroy sacred sites, move people from place to place. in fact fmg can do whatever they like and whenever they like. for those who follow the thefts of aboriginal land by governments and mining companies this video will still surprise.
like the cops who assault, maim and kill, even whilst being videoed, so too twiggy and his bullymen henchmen cared not one whit for the video camera. they were white so had the right. bloody disgusting!
the wa and federal governments must also share the horror of this video. traditional owners absolutely always finish up the poorer, culturally and financially. the puerile pittance that is paid does nothing to benefit the land owners. the land is ours and the resources are ours. we must demand real equity. we must have equity not compensation. compensation is normally paid for something that is lost. we have never lost our land nor our resources lying therein. the days of victimhood and theft are long gone.
a real deal would be 5% of equity for every year until we reach 50% after 10 years of mining but we would own 50% of the mine(s) and the profits whilst still owning our lands in full. billions of dollars in our own right. then let them talk of welfare.
twiggy, i hope you no longer 'befriend' the aborigines but rather make us partners, working together for the good of all. and by the way, we would claim an exemption of the mining tax you would still have to pay!
and thank you gerry for sending this to me for me to share further.
fkj
ray jackson
president
indigenous social justice association