Three of Australia’s biggest acts the John Butler Trio, Clare Bowditch and Missy Higgins will come together for a free concert at Melbourne’s Federation Square to protect Western Australia’s Kimberley.
Clare Bowditch: Photo Ros O'Gorman
Concert For The Kimberly will take place on Friday October 5 from 6pm with an address from former Australia Greens leader Dr Bob Brown and streamed live at www.concertforthekimberley.com. Missy Higgins, on tour in the USA, will sent a message of support to the crowd.
The Kimberley region is under environmental treat from oil and gas companies Woodside, Shell, BHP Billiton, BP, Mitsubishi and Mitsui who plan to build the nation’s largest industrial development on the red cliffs of James Prices Point.
John Butler has been outspoken about the threat since 2010. “The Kimberley is one of my most favourite places on this planet,” Butler said. “It’s so pristine and dynamic; a rich and diverse countryside offering brilliant coastal blues alongside vivid red cliffs. It’s culturally and environmentally abundant; a rare and beautifully wild place. To think of industrialising this truly special region in order to exploit a resource when it is more profitable and practical to process it somewhere else seems absolutely ludicrous. On all grounds, economically, environmentally, socially and politically, the proposed gas refinery at James Price Point is not sustainable.
“This why I’m standing with my fellow citizens in Federation Square on October 5 to sing out loud and proud that we will not allow one of the most precious places we have in our country to be destroyed by political and corporate greed.”
“I believe passionately in protecting beauty that, once destroyed, can never be recreated,” Bowditch said. “The Kimberley is one of those things, so when I was asked to help join the fight I jumped at the chance.”
The concert is free and donations for the Protect the Kimberley campaign will be collected at the event.
The Concert for the Kimberley featuring John Butler Trio and Clare Bowditch will be held October 5 between 6 and 9pm at Federation Square in Melbourne.
Watch the Noise11.com interview with Clare Bowditch.
