YURLU | COUNTRY

This is Australia’s very own Chernobyl-scale disaster – a sacrifice zone on Banjima lands.

The Wittenoom asbestos mines left behind more than three million tonnes of waste rock, laced with deadly asbestos fibres, turning 46,840ha of Banjima’s Yurlu (Country) into a toxic waste dump.

It has left a legacy of sickness, cultural loss, and environmental devastation that will continue to silently fester without action.

YURLU | COUNTRY offers a powerful examination of environmental and social justice. It reveals the devastating impact of Wittenoom’s toxic legacy while honoring the resilience of Banjima people fighting to reclaim and heal their land.

The film charts the struggle for remediation, the challenges of dispossession, and the enduring strength of those working to restore Country, culture, and justice.

2026 marks 60 years of inaction.
Thousands have died, with Aboriginal people in the Pilbara suffering the world’s highest mortality rate from mesothelioma.

Government reports warning asbestos tailings would spread for ‘hundreds of years’ are now realised with contamination detected outside the exclusion zone.

This was entirely foreseeable and preventable with the WA Government costing out remediation solutions it has failed to act upon.

The contamination violates Native Title rights, cutting Banjima Traditional Owners off from their ancestral lands, and denying them the right to ceremony, hunting, and gathering in Ngambigunha (Wittenoom Gorge). It breaches Article 29 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which states there should be no storage of hazardous materials on Indigenous lands without consent.

The question isn’t whether Australia can remediate the toxic tailings dumps. It can. The question is – why won’t we? It is a moral choice to #CleanUpWittenoom

To achieve justice, restoration, and accountability for Wittenoom by remediating toxic asbestos waste on Banjima Country, reclaiming Indigenous rights, and ensuring no community suffers the consequences from inaction any longer. #CleanUpWittenoom

The WA government has had remediation plans since 1985. #CleaningUpWittenoom is possible.

OUTCOMES
1. #CleanUpWittenoom: leverage screenings with politicians, international bodies, media, and advocacy to influence policymakers to remediate Wittenoom
2. Bridge Cultural Connection: Empower Pilbara Aboriginal communities through education, storytelling, and truth-telling with a Pilbara Roadshow
3. Advance Health & Wellbeing: Share knowledge, research, and community-driven strategies, advocating for intergenerational health equity and wellbeing
3. Drive Systems Change: Champion the prioritisation of sustainable mining practices in the race to extract minerals needed to power a ‘just energy’ transition so that no-one is left behind

In a rare collaboration, the late Maitland Parker is Co-writer, Executive Producer, and protagonist of this documentary. Knowing he would one day lose his battle with mesothelioma, he gave clear instructions for his name and image to be used after his passing.

Maitland passed away during the final stages of filming, and his family have reviewed and approved the final cut and impact strategy in line with his wishes.

The Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, is providing support and serving as a key Impact Partner.

In development, watch this space.