Tiwi Islander Traditional Owners recently made one of the biggest treks of their lives, travelling from their island home off the Northern Territory to Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, Korea.
For the first time the Traditional Owners met executives at some of the world’s biggest banks, to tell them that funding of major gas developments is threatening to destroy their Land and Sea Country.
Senior Munupi Man, Traditional Owner and Elder Pirrawayingi Puruntatameri, Traditional Owner Therese Bourke and human rights advocate Antonia Burke arrived to the bright lights of Tokyo, and freezing spring days.
The Traditional Owners say it was vital to spend time at a few special and sacred places in Tokyo, paying respects to culture and tradition before meeting with bank executives and government officials.
Australian gas company, Santos, is steaming ahead with building the Barossa gas project, including a 200 kilometre pipeline, off the coast of the Tiwi Islands.
Traditional Owners say the gas project would have devastating effects on their Land and Sea Country, their culture, as well as precious marine life.
Traditional Owners Pirrawayingi Puruntatameri, Therese Bourke and human rights advocate Antonia Burke met face to face with executives and sustainability teams at some of Asia’s biggest banks, asking them to stop investing in Santos’ destructive gas project and to respect their human rights.
Pirrawayingi Puruntatameri is the former Mayor of the Tiwi Islands and is dedicating his life to protecting his Land and Sea Country.
Antonia Burke is a human rights advocate who has grown up on the Tiwi Islands and says it’s vital to protect their Country for future generations.
Antonia is working with Tiwi Traditional Owners who have been clear they have not consented to Santos ramming ahead with its destructive Barossa gas project.
“Investors have been asked to exercise their own human rights policies and not loan money to Santos or invest in them. We shared maps and evidence of underwater cultural heritage sites with all of them to ask Santos not to go near them,” Antonia said.
Therese Bourke is a regional councillor and the leader of the Malawu clan of the Tiwi Islands.
Therese is one of twelve Traditional Owners who last year lodged human rights complaints with twelve Australian and international banks over their funding of the Santos gas project.
It is the first time that Traditional Owners have made representations directly to the Japanese government and megabanks about the risks of the climate-wrecking gas project and its serious impacts on their Country, culture and environment.
The Traditional Owners secured successful negotiations with Asia’s biggest banks, the three Japanese megabanks – SMBC, Mizuho and MUFG – which are all funding Santos and are among the biggest financiers of dirty coal, oil and gas globally.
The Traditional Owners also held successful meetings with government officials.
Hundreds of people and many civil society organisations came out in support in Tokyo and Seoul, all concerned about rights violations and wrecking the climate.
In Korea, the Traditional Owners addressed the National Assembly and met with the Export Credit Agency requesting an end to financial support for Santos and its Barossa gas project.
Following the meetings, one of Japan’s biggest banks, SMBC announced a commitment to significantly improve its environmental, social and human rights due diligence requirements.
Tiwi Traditional Owners are calling on all banks including those in Japan, Europe and Australia to end finance for Santos and its huge dirty gas projects.
© 2026 Market Forces
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