Greens Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam is proud to stand with Traditional Owners to protect the world's largest pre-Ice Age rock art precinct in the Pilbara, 1550 km north of Perth.

"The Burrup Peninsula is a place of unparalleled artistic, cultural, religious and historical significance, as well as a place of magnificent natural beauty," said Senator Ludlam.

"The Greens have long campaigned for its protection, mostly recently through the Too Precious To Lose campaign.

The Australian Greens today launched a nation-wide campaign to protect the country's most precious ecological sites.

The ‘Too Precious To Lose' campaign will defend sites and species under threat: www.tooprecioustolose.org.au/#

Senators for Western Australia Scott Ludlam and Rachel Siewert will lead the campaigns to protect the Burrup Peninsula and James Price Point.

Question No. 692

Senator Ludlam asked the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, in writing, on 15 June 2011:
In regard to an explosive event conducted by Holcim Australia at their quarry on the Burrup Peninsula on the afternoon of 1 April 2011:

Environment and Communications Committee Wednesday 25 May 2011

Senator LUDLAM: Most of my questions are on heritage and the heritage budget, although I would like to start by acknowledging the wonderful work done by Environment Victoria and Friends of the Earth, in part based on Commonwealth grants. They get a lot done with a very small budget. I want to draw the officer's attention to the heritage budget in particular and whether you can confirm that the division has indeed been cut in terms of total funding by about 31 per cent across the forward estimates.

Notice of Motion No. 185 standing in my name and the name of Senator Siewert relating to the world heritage listing for the Dampier Cultural Precinct

I move that the Senate notes that:

i. The largest single rock art site complex, which is also the largest outdoor rock art complex in the world, is that located on the Dampier Archipelago;

The Australian Greens have won agreement from the Federal Government to conduct an emergency heritage assessment of the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia.

"We are pleased that the Government has responded in this way. This is a site of extraordinary environmental and heritage importance," he said.

Senator Ludlam and fellow Greens Senator for Western Australia Rachel Siewert moved a motion in the Senate calling for the emergency assessment, winning the support of the Government and the cross benches.