ABSTRACT
The case of uranium mining in Australia will serve here to show how Indigenous attitudes and reactions to the issue of uranium mining have been 'channelled' by governments. It is also chanelled by companies and by interest groups so that in the end, legislation, negotiation and protest have become ineffective in helping Indigenous peoples influence the decision-making process. The restrictive legislation and the frustrating process of negotiation has often led to discouragement and apathy among some members of the Indigenous communities concerned by uranium mining that have become the victims of failed democratic processes. Environmental non-governmental organization (NGOs) can provide Indigenous groups with the technical expertise they need in order to negotiate with mining companies. The glimpse of hope offered by the existence of some protest movements focused on letting indigenous peoples speak for themselves in the case of uranium mining may lead people to believe that the relations between the different actors involved in negotiations could change.
