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SBS Australia
a day ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Migrant to mogul: How Vikas Rambal built a billion-dollar empire in Australia
More than two decades later after migrating from India, Rambal has been ranked the 31st richest person in the country on the 2025 Australian Financial Review Rich List. He says this is just the beginning. 'When I was asked about number of cars in India, it hit me hard because it made me realise that Indians had not yet made a strong mark here," Rambal, the Managing Director, Founder and Chair of Perdaman Group, said. Vikas Rambal (second from R) with his wife Megha (second from L) and two sons during his early years in Australia. Credit: Perdaman's Office "That's when I decided I needed to establish myself.' Rambal migrated to Australia in 2000 and has since been passionately involved in developing and expanding chemical manufacturing facilities in the country. Today, he is known for his project to develop a multi-billion-dollar fertiliser plant on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia's far north-west. His net worth is estimated at $4.98 billion. But, he says his focus lies beyond just accumulating wealth. Perdaman chairman Vikas Rambal Credit: Supplied by Vikas Rambhal's office "Wealth isn't my primary focus—it's growth that drives me. My goal is to create more millionaires, and I believe that path will naturally lead me to becoming a billionaire," Rambal said. 'I initially came here with the idea of building a solar farm, but I believe manufacturing is the future for Australia and that's what I have been working towards," Rambal said. Perdaman secured a $6 billion urea project which kicked off a few years ago and according to Rambal, it would be Australia's largest fertiliser manufacturing project. Vikas Rambal with WA Premier and others. Credit: Supplied by Perdaman Group office The plant will convert natural gas from Woodside's Scarborough Gas Project into an estimated 2.3 million tonnes of urea per annum, for both domestic and international consumption. Recalling his initial struggle to establish his Indian identity, he said he has since been actively working to build a bridge between India and Australia. LISTEN TO SBS Hindi 13/07/2025 06:47 Hindi 'Many Indians who've migrated overseas have, by and large, acquired existing businesses, but we built projects from the ground up,' he says. 'But when I approached Australian lenders with my business proposals soon after I arrived here, they travelled to India just to verify my credentials." "I believe what we lack as a community is a strong identity, despite all the hard work we've put in here.' He now aims to create a pool of talent especially young and empower others to follow in his footsteps and become wealth creators in their own right. "In my view if I am able to create more millionaires, I will improve my ranking as a billionaire automatically. And that's my vision for my future" he adds. LISTEN TO SBS Hindi 07/05/2025 12:02 Hindi Find all our podcasts here at: SBS Hindi Podcast Collection.
SBS Australia
14-07-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
Murujuga has been placed on the World Heritage list, but pollution concerns remain
More than a million pieces of ancient rock art have secured World Heritage status in a bittersweet listing for Traditional Custodians, scientists and environmentalists, who are fearful nearby industrial activity is damaging the engravings. The Murujuga rock art landscape on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia was listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a heritage site late last week after intense lobbying by the federal government. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt was accompanied to the UNESCO meeting in Paris by representatives from the Western Australian government and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC). Murujuga contains the world's largest, densest and most diverse collection of petroglyphs, a type of rock art where the design is carved into the surface of the rock. Some are estimated to be more than 50,000 years old. They depict animals, plants and human figures and are visible due to the colour and contrast between the removed varnish layer and the underlying brighter weathered rind of the host rocks. The site was put forward to UNESCO for World Heritage listing in 2023, but the application was referred back in May over concerns nearby acid emissions, including those from Woodside's Burrup gas hub, were degrading the art. The peninsula in northwest WA near Karratha is home to two gas plants, a fertiliser plant and iron ore and salt export facilities. Senator Watt recently gave provisional approval for the Woodside North West Shelf project on the peninsula, which includes the Karratha gas plant, to continue operating until 2070. Custodians celebrate listing, while concerns remain over pollution Raelene Cooper, Murujuga custodian of the Mardudhunera people and founder of Save our Songlines, has been in Paris with other First Nations leaders pushing for Murujuga to be listed as a World Heritage site, but with the explicit intention of ensuring any listing comes with strict conditions to sufficiently manage industrial impacts on the site. 'My family and community have worked for many years for World Heritage protection for Murujuga's ancient rock art," she said. 'This is a momentous day for our old people and our future generations, to have Murujuga's outstanding universal heritage values recognised by the world. 'Our rock art tells the stories of our people, and maintains our Songlines and bloodline connection to our ngurra (Country)." Ms Cooper said while she was overjoyed about the World Heritage listing, she was deeply concerned about the pollution from surrounding heavy industry. Part of the government's lobbying efforts involved removing protections suggested by UNESCO's independent advisory body ICOMOS in May from the final approval. 'Fertiliser plants are still being built around our sacred sites and polluting gas plants will emit toxic acid on our rock art for another 50 years," she said. "But comments from World Heritage Committee members today send a clear signal to the Australian Government and Woodside that things need to change to prevent the ongoing desecration of Murujuga by polluting industry. "Global scrutiny will now be applied to what is happening at Murujuga. We will continue to fight for protection for this very special place, and the world is now aware of what we are up against.' Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the collective voice of the Ngarda-Ngarli (Traditional Owners and Custodians), said they were elated to see the Murujuga Cultural Landscape recognised. 'While today's inscription is recognition of the hard work that MAC has put in ... over the past two years, more importantly, it is recognition of the way our ancestors have managed this extraordinary landscape for over 50,000 years," said MAC Chair Peter Hicks. "World Heritage is the mechanism we will use to continue to do what we have always done: protect our culture for all future generations." But Ben Smith, Professor of Archaeology (World Rock Art), at the University of WA, said that unless pollution is drastically curbed, the rock art is at risk of serious degradation. "While I celebrate Murujuga receiving the well deserved status of being listed as a World Heritage site, the nature in which the Australian Government handled the scientific findings on industrial impacts on Murujuga during this process reveals the extent to which they will go to play down the impacts of our gas industry," he said. "The scientific data clearly demonstrated the advanced weathering of the Murujuga petroglyphs from heightened levels of certain airborne pollutants from the nearby Woodside gas processing facility, yet we saw this repeatedly dismissed by different levels of government, with graphs and data being manipulated to back up the narrative that no conditions were required for the listing. "One only hopes that Murujuga's listing as a World Heritage Site spurs the government to no longer shirk their responsibility to conserve and protect this globally significant rock art site, and we see proper measures put in place to stop the polluting gas industry from degrading our First Nations cultural heritage." Foundation of culture Ngarluma woman Samantha Walker wrote to the nominations unit at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the director of evaluation unit at ICOMOS, urging the WHC to list Murujuga as a world heritage site with specific recommendations to have independent bodies monitor and manage industrial pollution at Murujuga. "Murujuga is more than just rock art – it is who we are," she wrote. "Murujuga contains Songlines and stories that define our identities as First Nations people, connecting us to our Elders and people that have walked before us. "Murujuga is the foundation of our culture. "The health of Murujuga is the health of my people and the ngurra (Country) is crying out for help." Ms Walker said Murujuga is sacred, but also has a dark history due to colonisation and the Flying Foam Massacre of 1868. "That history of colonisation is being continued on by the way that government allows multi-billion-dollar industries to operate on Murujuga without having to obtain free, prior and informed consent or listen to the people whose Country this is," she said. Ms Walker also expressed her alarm at the Environment Minister's provisional approval to extend the lifetime of Woodside Energy's North West Shelf gas plant to 2070. "It is unfathomable to imagine the French Government approving industrial pollution at the site of the 17,000 plus year-old Lascaux cave paintings . "Why is there not more global outrage that Minister Watt and the Australian Government have given provisional approval for 40 more years of pollution that is damaging the 50,000 plus year-old Murujuga rock art on our Country?" Environmentalists were also concerned the Woodside project extension could cause further damage. 'The world is now watching," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said. "The onus is on the Australian government to make sure the values recognised by UNESCO are not jeopardised by ongoing industrial pollution." As part of the immediate inscription, the Australian Government will provide a state of conservation report for consideration in 2027. Murujuga will become the second place in Australia recognised on the World Heritage List solely for its First Nations cultural heritage, following the listing of Budj Bim in 2019 . Senator Watt said it had been a great privilege to support the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Murujuga, who have protected the landscape for more than 50,000 years. 'The Australian Government is strongly committed to World Heritage and the protection of First Nations cultural heritage – and we will ensure this outstanding place is protected now and for future generations,' he said. A Woodside spokesperson said the company had been a "proud supporter" of the World Heritage nomination and assessment process and they looked forward to continuing to work closely with MAC on the continued protection and management of this globally significant area. UNESCO added several other sites to its list, including the Xixia Imperial Tombs in China and the Faya Palaeolandscape in the United Arab Emirates.
ABC News
13-07-2025
- General
- ABC News
Murujuga gets World Heritage listing
The ancient rock art of Murujuga, on Western Australia's Burrup peninsula, will be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site after the federal government intervened to get a long-term campaign for listing over the line. Despite the outcome, some traditional custodians still hold concerns for the future of the over one million petroglyphs.
Bloomberg
12-07-2025
- Science
- Bloomberg
Australian Rock Art Site Near LNG Hub Gets World Heritage Status
The United Nations has granted World Heritage status to an ancient Aboriginal rock art site in Australia that's close to an industrial gas hub, a development that will require the government to protect the cultural area. The Murujuga site, located on the Burrup Peninsula in northwest Australia, contains the largest collection of rock art in the world. Covering around 100,000 hectares, it has more than 1 million engravings known as petroglyphs with depictions of animals, plants — and perhaps the oldest depiction of a human face.
Al Jazeera
11-07-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Ancient Aboriginal rock art, African sites make UNESCO World Heritage list
The United Nations cultural organisation has added a remote Aboriginal site featuring one million carvings that potentially date back 50,000 years to its World Heritage list. Located on the Burrup peninsula in Western Australia, Murujuga is home to the Mardudunera people, who declared themselves 'overjoyed' when UNESCO gave the ancient site a coveted place on its list on Friday. 'These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites,' said Mark Clifton, a member of the Aboriginal delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives in Paris. Environmental and Indigenous organisations argue that the presence of mining groups emitting industrial emissions has already caused damage to the ancient site. Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia, said Murujuga was 'possibly the most important rock art site in the world', but that mining activity was causing the rock art to 'break down'. 'We should be looking after it,' he said. Australian company Woodside Energy, which operates an industrial complex in the area, told news agency AFP that it recognised Murujuga as 'one of Australia's most culturally significant landscapes' and that it was taking 'proactive steps … to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly'. Delegation leader Raelene Cooper said the UNESCO listing sent 'a clear signal to the Australian Government and Woodside that things need to change'. Making the UNESCO's heritage list does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action. African heritage boosted Cameroon's Mandara Mountains and Malawi's Mount Mulanje were also added to the latest edition of the UNESCO World Heritage list. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has presented Africa as a priority during her two terms in office, although the continent remains underrepresented. The Diy-Gid-Biy landscape of the Mandara Mountains, in the far north of Cameroon, consists of archaeological sites, probably created between the 12th and 17th centuries. Malawi's Mount Mulanje, in the south of the country, is considered a sacred place inhabited by gods, spirits and ancestors. UNESCO is also considering applications from two other African countries, namely the Gola Tiwai forests in Sierra Leone and the biosphere reserve of the Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau. On Friday, UNESCO also listed three notorious Cambodian torture and execution sites used by the Khmer Rouge regime to perpetrate genocide 50 years ago.
