Gas firms accused of sacred site damage A Queensland Aboriginal tribe has accused three gas companies of desecrating sacred sites on a central Queensland island. Spokeswoman for the Gurang tribe, Cherissma Blackman, says ceremonial areas have been destroyed and fishing stocks depleted on Curtis Island and around Gladstone Harbour. "It is part of our traditional cultural heritage," Ms Blackman told AAP. All these animals and marine life that exist, they're part of our song lines and story lines. We have an obligation to our old people to uphold these song lines and story lines for future generations. These companies are totally ignorant about the environmental and cultural heritage damage they cause. Gurang is one of four tribes launching a class action against Queensland Gas Company (QGC), Santos GLNG, and Asia Pacific LNG, for not upholding an indigenous land use agreement. The tribes say the companies also failed to pay compensation for using native title land. All three companies are building plants to convert coal seam gas to liquefied natural gas on Curtis Island, off Gladstone. The four tribes met with UNESCO last year to voice their concerns about developments in Gladstone being so close to the Great Barrier Reef. Ms Blackman says the tribes have met with lawyers but the class action is yet to be filed. Santos says it has done everything it should have. "Santos GLNG is confident we have operated within the framework of the Native Title Act and Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act," the company told AAP. We're also confident we have complied with, and continue to comply with, the Santos GLNG Cultural Heritage Management Plan negotiated with and implemented by the local native title body the Port Curtis Coral Coast (PCCC). Santos said it worked closely with the PCCC to undertake cultural heritage surveys and assessments and implement the agreed management measures in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Management Plan. QGC says claims that it destroyed Aboriginal cultural sites are "baseless." The company said under an agreement with the PCCC, indigenous representatives led cultural heritage surveys before any ground was disturbed. "They recorded no Aboriginal cultural heritage sites in their surveys," the company said. Cultural heritage studies from 1993 to 1997 and in 2001 also found no evidence of culturally significant sites. The area on which LNG projects are being built on Curtis Island was used to run livestock from 1862 and to dump rubbish. Comment has been sought from Asia Pacific LNG.