Indigenous elders in WA say ‘gag clause’ denies them a say in industrial developments on their land

In an open letter to the Western Australian government, traditional owners say their ‘sacred lands were forcibly acquired’. Photograph: Krystle Wright/The Guardian

Traditional custodians of the Burrup Peninsula want the Western Australian state government to remove a “gag clause” that stops them from mounting real opposition to industrial developments on their land.

The Murujuga elders and traditional custodians travelled to Perth from the Pilbara in the far north of Western Australia on Thursday to deliver an open letter to the government outlining the changes.