Government and Wajarri community come to agreement for $3 billion SKA-Low telescope in Murchison region

For tens of thousands of years, the Aboriginal people of the Mid West have gazed and studied the night sky, and now an ambitious project to study some of the universe’s deepest secrets has the approval of the Murchison region’s traditional owners. Around 150 members of the Wajarri Yamaji community met with representatives of the State and Federal Government to sign an Indigenous Land Use Agreement, which means construction can soon begin on the $3 billion Square Kilometre Array-low (SKA-low) telescope, part of network of the world’s largest radio telescopes set to be built in Australia and South Africa.. The Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation met with WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti and dignitaries from the CSIRO and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources on Saturday at the Murchison Settlement to commemorate the agreement. It comes after seven years of negotiations and four years of surveys, covering 400km of land, to ensure the deal respected and protected Wajarri cultural heritage. Dwayne Mallard, Minangu Land Committee member, said he was happy to see a deal found which would provide the local community with the benefits of having such an ambitious project on their land while respecting Wajarri tradition. “For me it is the ultimate privilege to be able to stand up for a country and culture and support our elders and community leaders and make way for access to opportunity and choice for new generations coming through. “Moving forward with caring for country and also the opportunities within the project itself around supply chain opportunities and business and jobs and training.” The SKA-observatory project is designed to study some of the biggest questions of the cosmos: why is the universe expanding? What happens to gravity in a pulsar or black hole? What did the universe look like in its early stages? Are we alone in the universe? With 131,000 dipole antennas covering 65km, the SKA-Low telescope will cost $3 billion. CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said it was an honour to work with the Wajarri people to explore these crucial mysteries. “Our relationship with the Wajarri Yamaji is based on a mutual respect and understanding,” he said. “As the first astronomers in the region, the Wajarri Yamaji have a deep connection to the sky and land and have been caring for this country for tens of thousands of years.” The Murchison region was chosen for its remoteness, with the observatory located in a radio quiet zone where the telescope will be able to operate without interference from electronic devices. As part of the ceremony, the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory where the SKA-Low telescope will be built was given a Wajarri name, Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, translating to “sharing the sky and stars.” The name was chosen by Wajarri woman Shakira Whitehurst. WYAC chairperson and Minangu Land Committee member Jennylyn Hamlett said she was happy to see Wajarri culture’s touch be felt on the SKA project. “We look at the sky every day, and we now have the opportunity to share our skies with the rest of the world,” she said. “This Wajarri name connects our culture and language to what our country is being used for.” Construction on the SKA-Low telescope is set to begin later this year and is expected to operate for more than 50 years.