‘Aboriginal people in Western Australia experience the highest rates of death from mesothelioma globally. That’s because of Wittenoom. And there isn’t a Banjima family who isn’t touched by this. This is really a huge human rights issue.’

‘We went pretty deep into where the main tailings dumps are. We have this drone shot that goes for five minutes…It shows the tailings dumps going for like hundreds of metres and that is not a perspective many people will ever see, unless they’re flying over that site in a chopper.’

Yurlu | Country director, Yaara Bou Melhem

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Warning: This episode of Earth Matters contains the name of a person who has died.

The recently released documentary Yurlu | Country shines new light on the Wittenoom asbestos mine catastrophe. Centring the experience of former Karijini Park ranger Banjima elder Maitland Parker, it shows the impacts of asbestos include not only lost lives and environmental damage but the cultural loss traditional owners have suffered as a result of diminished access to their Country.

Guest: Yurlu | Country writer/director/producer Yaara Bou Melhem

Documentary website: https://yurlucountry.com

Details on how to watch and share Yurlu |Country PLUS the Clean Up Wittenoom campaign: https://yurlucountry.com/take-action/

For information on asbestos-related disease: https://asbestosdiseases.org.au/information/wittenoom-overview/

https://www.asbestos.com/blog/2019/03/19/asbestos-problem-australian-abo...

Episode #1539: Producer/presenter: Claudia Craig | Interviewer: Annie McLoughlin 

This interview was first aired on 3CR’s Showreel on November 6^th 2025. Listen to the full interview here. A huge thanks to Annie McLoughlin for sharing this interview with us.

Photo credit: Illuminate Films