Opposition to Kariong development ramps up

Opponents of a controversial development proposed for Kariong are ramping up efforts to secure a promise of NSW Government intervention prior to next month’s State election, with a rally held on Friday 17 outside the office of Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch.

The proposal for a 70-house development by the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council (DLALC) has faced strong opposition from Traditional Bloodline Custodians due to its close proximity to Sacred Lands.

Aboriginal spokesperson for Coast Environmental Alliance (CEA), Aunty Colleen Fuller, was at the rally.

“Our community spent close to a decade fighting to protect Kariong Sacred Lands and eventually we were successful in preserving the famous Grandmother Tree and her surrounds,” Fuller said.

“Now DLALC is planning a development only a short walk from this area.

“To say it’s distressing to the local Traditional Custodians and others who worked tirelessly to defend this area would be a vast understatement.

“This is what you call a cut and fill development, where they will remove all of the trees, the rock and the endangered ecological communities reducing the area to a huge pile of dirt.

“To think that removing the endangered wetlands (in particular) won’t impact the surrounding environment would be foolish.

“I really can’t wrap my head around how an Aboriginal organisation can be pushing to destroy cultural heritage and endangered plants and animals, and against the will of the Traditional Custodians.

“I am proud to stand beside members of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community to work together once again to protect our precious bushland.”

Fuller said the purpose of the rally was to secure a commitment to protect the land.

Environmental concerns are also on the table.

CEA Sustainable Development spokesperson Jessie Fancett said the development would require a rezone, with the current E2 zoning not allowing for development.

“We are calling on our State Member to commit to ensuring that this land isn’t rezoned and that it is protected in the national park system,” she said.

“Some of the threatened species in the area include the plant Darwinia Glaucophylla which is only found on the Central Coast, the Glossy-Black Cockatoo, Grey-Headed Flying

Fox and the Giant Burrowing Frog.

“Not only do these plants and animals rely on the endangered wetlands for their very survival, but taking wetlands out of a fire prone area will dry up the landscape and add to the risk of life threatening bushfires.

“This part of Kariong is registered by the Government as an Area of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) due to the specific variety of eucalypt species that are known food sources for koalas.

“CEA is not anti-development.

“We support initiatives to build more affordable and sustainable housing but not in ecologically and culturally sensitive bushland that the Government itself has zoned to be protected.

“It’s well within Liesl Tesch’s responsibilities to push the Government to uphold the E2 zoning and have this area included in the adjacent national park.”

Fancett said residents and commuters should also consider the impact of having significantly more morning and afternoon traffic in the area if the development goes ahead.

Fuller said impacts of the development on the environment would be “catastrophic and irreversible”. Tesch said the issue was a complex one, with the housing crisis on the Central Coast a critical component, and that opponents would be best advised to address their concerns to the Regional Planning Panel.

Greens MLC Sue Higginson said in a statement on February 14 that the party does not support the development and called for the land to be protected for its ecological and cultural significance.

“The Greens call on the NSW Government to purchase the land from the DLALC for addition to the protected area network and compensate the Land Council fully,” she said.

“The Greens do not believe in standing in the way of economic opportunities from land development for First Nations people and Land Councils and believe First Nations people have a right to determine how they manage their land.

“In the case of Kariong, the ecological significance and the opposition from traditional custodians means the NSW Government should return alternative appropriate land for development to the DLALC for them to proceed with their development on a more suitable site.”

But the DLALC has called on public representatives to better familiarise themselves with the Aboriginal Land Rights Act following Higginson’s comments.

DLALC chair BJ Duncan said there is a narrative being driven by those opposed to the proposed development at the Kariong site, which is both unfounded and naïve to the facts.

“Ms Higginson has clearly drawn a line in the sand in regards to DLALC’s planning proposal to rezone the land, which would see more than half the site safeguarded for environmental conservation,” Duncan said.

“Ms Higginson’s statements contradict the rights of Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council membership, who are seeking the same rights as other non-Aboriginal land owners - to have selfdetermination for how they use their land.

“The legitimacy of Darkinjung’s right to their land is enshrined in the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, however Ms Higginson’s words serve to fuel the fire of those that question our rights to our land.

“As we move to a Voice in Parliament let the debate on the ability for Aboriginal people to participate in economic independence be brought front and centre, so that true selfdetermination in our community can flourish.”

Terry Collins