[redslazer]

While the destruction of these sites is most probably not a good idea and there is an open question regarding the fairness of native title negotiations between mining companies and the local indigenous people it should be noted that:

"They are also unable to raise concerns publicly about the expansion, having signed comprehensive agreements with BHP as part of a native title settlement. BHP agreed to financial and other benefits for the Banjima people, while the Banjima made commitments to support the South Flank project."

From the sounds of it the two parties have agreed to the situation and now one party is attempting to escape its part of the agreement through the use public opinion.

[yongjik]

If some house in Greece is sitting on the ruins of the classical era, and its owner sells the house to some mining company, can't people protest the impending destruction?

It doesn't seem right to treat 15K-year-old archeological sites as sellable goods. It should belong to Australia and mankind.

[dependenttypes]

I think that in some countries at least the moment that an archeological site is discovered it becomes property of the government.

[noobermin]

That's good. Onerous one sided agreements are terrible especially when one part has so much power over the other.