Howard's mine endorsement 'insulting'

A group of traditional owners from the Northern Territory say the Prime Minister has insulted them by coming out in support of the McArthur River Mine expansion near Borroloola.

This week John Howard defended his decision to send a letter to the Territory Government urging it to finalise the mine's expansion.

The Swiss mine owner, Xstrata, needs to divert five kilometres of the McArthur River for its operation to be turned into an open cut mine.

A Yanyuwa traditional owner, Leonard Norman, says the Prime Minister should be gauging community feeling on the project before supporting the expansion.

"We've tried to talk to the mines, and John Howard's trying to ... he's giving them the bullet to shoot us down," he said.

"At the end of the day we're the people who are going to suffer down here."