The Darwin Festival is the biggest multicultural event in the Top End's entertainment calendar, attracting tourists and locals alike over three weeks in August, during Darwin’s temperate dry season.
Oil and gas company Santos has sponsored the event since 1997 and has naming rights to the free opening night concert, which this year features Yolngu dancers and songmen from northeast Arnhem Land performing with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.
Traditional Owners whose lands are impacted by mining activity this week joined forces with more than 200 artists in a petition demanding the Darwin Festival “take a leading role in climate action by abandoning promotional partnerships with fossil fuel companies.”
But the festival board has rejected the call to dump Santos.
Chairman Ian Kew told ABC Radio Darwin, “this year we have contractual arrangements on many different levels and will go ahead with our existing sponsors.”
"[The board] is mindful and understanding about the issues around climate change – we think that companies like Santos are part of the solution and are involved in hydrogen, carbon capture and storage," he said.
Santos 'damaging sacred sites
Traditional Owners from the Tiwi Islands and the Beetaloo basin have launched court action against Santos and were part of the campaign to dump the company from the festival.
Gudanji-Wambaya man Johnny Wilson is the chairpman of the Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation, it represents traditional owners from the Beetalo basin where widespread fracking operations are underway.
“Santos' activities in the Beetaloo Basin right now are damaging sacred sites and Country and do not have our consent to continue.”
Mr Wilson said he was disappointed in the board’s decision.
“How can we take the festival board’s claims about respecting Indigenous culture seriously when they continue to promote this company while our communities suffer at their hands?”
Tiwi Island Traditional Owners are also fighting to stop Santos' drilling operations north of the island in the Timor Sea, part of the company's multi-billion dollar Barrosa Project.
Johnny Wilson and Marie Munkarra have lost the sponsorship fight, but say they will continue to challenge mining operations on their land and sea Country. Source: NITV News
“We asked the Festival Chair Ian Kew if his board, which is heavily weighted with fossil fuel representatives, would diversify its membership to include more Top End Indigenous members as well as artists," said Rembarranga and Tiwi woman Marie Munkarra.
"Having a representative of a fossil fuel company on the festival board makes about as much sense as having an artist on the Law Association of the NT board.”
In a statement, Santos defended its involvement and sponsorship of the festival.
"[It] is part of our commitment to support the communities where we live and work.
"In the Territory, we employ more than 100 local workers and we have spent $20 million buying goods and services from 60 local suppliers this year."
The festival board says it will review the Santos sponsorship deal after this year's event.
