By Jenna Clarke and Lucy Rickard
Musicians John Butler and Dan Sultan are among the dozens of protestors blocking the entrance to Woodside's proposed $30 billion gas hub at James Price Point, as the protest enters its 11th day.
Butler flew to Broome yesterday to join protesters who formed a blockade at the Manari Road turnoff, where locals and traditional land owners set up camp on a dirt track on June 7 with dozens from the Save the Kimberley organisation.
John Butler and Joseph Roe at the site this morning
The group are calling on the federal and state governments to stop clearing works and permit discussion and assessment of viable alternatives proposed by business partners with leases to extract Browse Basin gas.
Butler joined family friend Joseph Roe, law boss for the Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr Country, at the site to discuss Mr Roe's open letter to the government and joint venture partners Woodside, Shell, BHP and Chevron.
John Butler join Kimberley gas hub protesters in Broome at the crack of dawn.
The letter questions why the works are necessary before environmental and other government approvals.
Mr Roe, the Aboriginal law boss for the area, said the he has not been shown the correct permits usually registered under heritage act guidelines and is calling on Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to intervene.
John Butler told 6PR Radio the key stakeholders needed to exercise "commonsense and decency" over the exploitation of gas from the Kimberley region.
"We're not saying don't exploit it, stop everything," he said.
"We're saying maybe there's a place more suitable, more sustainable. And that's a fair argument I think."
He said a number of options, including an off-shore processing plant or building a pipeline to processing the gas in the Pilbara had not been considered by the government before giving the project the green light.
Butler said his love of the Kimberley extended back more than a decade, and said he didn't hesitate to get involved.
"We didn't want to see one of the most pristine places on this planet be turned into an industrial precinct, which is exactly what Colin Barnett wants," he said.
We're not saying don't exploit it, stop everything. We're saying maybe there's a place more suitable, more sustainable. And that's a fair argument I think.
He said he didn't believe the gas hub would work in the Kimberley after failing to show any signs of assisting the traditional landowners in a long-term way in the Pilbara.
Two protesters were arrested last week for obstructing traffic, and move on notices have also been issued.
The Kimberley Land Council, representing local indigenous land claimants, has reached an agreement with Woodside and the state government for the gas hub project to go ahead.
Under the deal, Kimberley Aboriginal communities would receive an estimated $1.5 billion in benefits over 30 years.
KLC spokesman Wayne Bergmann has slammed environmentalists for opposing the gas hub, saying that five environmental groups had pledged in 2007 to respect decisions made by traditional owners in relation to it.
Environs Kimberley spokesman Martin Pritchard said his group was backing the protest because things had changed since the accord was made and it was no longer confident the environment would be looked after.
According to Woodside all necessary bureaucratic and cultural negotiations have been undertaken.
"Woodside has all the relevant approvals in place to conduct environmental and geotechnical studies and intends to progress this program of works," a Woodside spokesman said.
"Protestors are denying the traditional owners access to their own country where they are assisting our contractors to undertake approved survey activities."
- with AAP
Follow Jenna Clarke on Twitter @JennaMClarke