Kimberley Land Council chief executive Tyronne Garstone says the WA government must stop the Valhalla fracking proposal — a plan to drill up to 20 wells in the Canning Basin near Derby — despite the state's Environmental Protection Authority recommending it proceed.
"The vast majority of Kimberley Traditional Owner groups have not endorsed fracking," Mr Garstone said on Tuesday.
"Consultations about fracking must include all surrounding Traditional Owner groups who may be affected by the proposed fracking - not just groups in the immediate project area."
The comments follow the EPA's release of a report on Monday recommending approval of the Valhalla fracking project, which would be the first fracking development approved in Western Australia since Labor lifted the moratorium in 2019.
The project, backed by US-based Black Mountain Energy through its subsidiary Bennett Resources, proposes drilling an initial 20 frack wells within the National Heritage-listed Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment, east of Broome.
Mr Garstone said the proposed site sits too close to protected Country to be considered low-risk.
"The Valhalla project site sits alarmingly close to West Kimberley areas already listed for National Heritage and under consideration for World Heritage status," he said.
"The Kimberley is home to unique cultural heritage, biodiversity, and landscapes found nowhere else on earth. Giving fracking a 'green light' here would be a reckless gamble with Country, culture, and future generations."
The KLC chief executive said fracking is not a viable option for the Kimberley and its people.
WA Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn must now decide whether to accept or reject the recommendation after an appeals period.
The decision has triggered protests and community action, with environmental and First Nations groups gathering outside Dumas House in West Perth on Monday afternoon.
Environs Kimberley director Martin Pritchard said the recommendation threatened water, wildlife and the region's tourism industry.
"We are shocked by this decision to recommend the most environmentally destructive proposal in the history of the Kimberley," he said.
Bunuba Traditional Owner Millie Hills said the Environmental Protection Authority's recommendation to approve the Valhalla fracking project ignored the region's environmental and cultural significance.
"The WA government needs to stop this industry before it gets started — this type of development is a huge risk to the Martuwarra Fitzroy River catchment," she said.
"People don't come to the Kimberley to see gas fields; they come to see unspoilt nature and experience our ancient culture."
Ms Hills called on WA Premier Roger Cook to block the proposal and move to ban fracking in the Kimberley.
"The Premier needs to show some leadership here and stop Black Mountain's 20-well fracking proposal," she said.
Nyikina Traditional Owner Pat Riley, from Pandanus Park near the lower reaches of the Fitzroy River, said communities downstream would be most affected.
"Our community is at the end of the river and any pollution from fracking upstream will affect us," she said.
"We want a clean, healthy river."
Yungngora Native Title holders have previously voiced support for fracking in the region.
"We have been working with various companies, over nearly 17 years now, to support the exploration, and hopefully eventual commercial development, of the oil and gas resources on Noonkanbah Station," Yungngora chairperson Thomas Skinner said in November.
"We remain confident the impacts of such a development can be managed in such a way, that they do not result in significant impacts to either our sacred sites or Country."
The EPA recommendation comes a month after advice from the Independent Expert Scientific Committee, which found the information provided by the proponent was "not sufficient to assess the project's potential impacts on surface and groundwater resources".
The EPA report acknowledged high levels of public concern and noted gaps in Western Australia's regulation of the fracking industry.
