Stockland on Sandon Point

Stockland on Sandon Point - 25/8/10

 
Barry Mann, Stockland’s General Manager Residential Development (NSW) speaks to Nick McLaren about the procedures for locating and protecting Aboriginal artefacts at the Sandon Point housing development site.
He began by outlining what happened when Aboriginal groups walked onto the site on Monday August 23rd to raise awareness of their disagreement with the procedure stipulated by the Department of Planning for conducting site surveys.
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BM: The Aboriginal groups approached the site and work was not actually going at the time and the site is actually kept secure for security reasons and because of safe work practices to ensure no general public can wander onto the site. The Aboriginal groups had a discussion with our site foreman and they he allowed them onto the site and then they walked onto the site for about an hour then left.

NM: Were you upset by that? What was your response?

BM: If the Aboriginal groups want to come and have a look at it they are entitled to, or they can if they want to but I mean we have a process to go through to construct the site and while works are in progress we can’t have people wandering the site without being properly inducted into safe procedures and understanding the dangers of the site.  So we’re not upset by it but we do have to do the work and in doing the work we can’t have people wandering about on the site. 

NM: The Department of Planning changed the consent conditions to allow the work to start. They say they put in a new approach enable people to inspect and collect materials. Can you tell us what that approach is?

BM: There's a bit of confusion I think about which part of the site where talking about and the part which is currently under construction is a previously disturbed site. It has no requirement for inspection or collection of items. In fact all the reports suggest there are no items on the site and no suspected items on the site. Having said that, if we see anything or find anything we obviously stop the work and contact both the local police because we're not sure where any artefacts might come from, if they’re bones or something, and also the DEC-W Department. The conditions that the Department of Planning amended don't really change the process on what happens with Aboriginal cultural heritage. One condition that was in the approval was that if anything was found on the site, the five Aboriginal groups would have to agree in writing what happened to that particular artefact before any more work could commence.

NM: But can you see the point that they appear to be making is that how would you know if you've discovered something if you do not have your own Aboriginal site officers that are trained in how to identify Aboriginal artefacts.  They seem to be saying that you need these qualified Aboriginal sites officers, one or more I don't know how many you'd need, people like that on site to identify any artefacts.

BM: In the process of getting the project approved there's been significant Aboriginal and European heritage consultation and investigation done by Doctor Susan MacIntyre-Tamwoy who's a qualified professor in those areas. In that process she prepares a report which is then put on public exhibition, it's made notified to all Aboriginal groups. It's apparent that some or most of those Aboriginal groups responded to it , its part of the exhibition process so they have made submissions and in that report it suggests that the site where we're currently undertaking work, there is no chance or possibility of Aboriginal heritage being found, because it a previously disturbed site. For the other part of the site, further north there are areas where . . . .

NM: Is that around the creek?

BM: No further north, the part we actually call McCauley's Beach, which is further north of the current factory there, there's areas of undisturbed land that would need to be investigated and there is a process of how that investigation is underway. It's in the report, we have to do some excavation trenches. There'll be some Aboriginal people there who watch those excavation trenches. If anything is found in that process it's collected by a qualified archaeologist which is Dr Susan MacIntyre-Tamwoy and there's a GPS record taken of it and it's held at the Australian Museum.

NM: So Dr Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy then becomes your sites officer who represents all the Aboriginal people. Is that how it works?

BM: No she becomes the qualified archaeologist in that area, but while we are doing that test excavation there will be members of the other Aboriginal groups that are invited for a walk over of the site and they're invited to attend the excavation process.

NM: So just to clarify that, the bit where the work is going on now you're saying that's an old industrial site, you're not going to find any artefacts there, and when you move onto the new site you'll then be inviting (Aboriginal) sites officers onto the site?

BM: We'll be inviting the five Aboriginal groups that have expressed interest and are required to be there and they can choose to attend.

NM: Now on another issue, this Aboriginal Keeping Place has come up before. We know it was an earlier consent condition but for various reasons it hasn't been able to be built yet. From Stockland’s point of view what has been holding up the Aboriginal Keeping place?

BM: Well the Keeping Place is a place to either store artefacts or to keep the culture alive. To come up with a concept for the Keeping place we need to have agreement with the five Aboriginal groups about what they would like to be done. We're happy to be able to do what they'd like to be done but over the last five or six years we've been unable to get an agreement with what they would like. Now we've also come up with a range of different initiatives.

NM: Is there a particular site where it will go?

BM: It will go on Wollongong Council land area so it obviously needs Wollongong Council involvement as well,  and it will be where the Aboriginal groups decide. From Stockland’s point of view, we don't mind.

NM: So there is no particular site that has been identified at this stage?

BM: No there is no particular site but there is an area which is anywhere from the headland down to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, anywhere along there. It doesn't have to be a building it could be any sort of particular thing that the Aboriginal groups decide they want and unfortunately the five groups can't agree, so we've suggested why don’t we do something for each. So we're trying to work through that but we've had trouble getting agreement with what they want.

NM: There seems to be some confusion over whether a development application for a Keeping Place was lodged around two years ago. Can you clarify that at all?

BM:  There was a concept that was a winding style footpath along the headlands that crosses with the current bypass. That had been through a number of processes and we thought most groups agreed to it. That concept was over Wollongong Council land so the only person that can lodge a development application has to have the Wollongong Councils owners' consent. We spent considerable time and effort getting a design and concept that we thought was agreed and gave it to the council to consider but it was probably technically not lodged because it didn't have council approval to lodge, and subsequently they said they didn't like the concept.

NM: Alright, so it's still a work in process the whole idea?

BM: Yes it's still a work in process but we're happy to keep working in process to sort it out.
 
Comments
Stockland was required by court conditions and NPWS in 2002 to build the Aboriginal community an artefact Keeping Place on Stockland's own land, and also provide a Voluntary Conservation Area.Eight years later that still hasn't happened and the minister for 'planning' has approved deletion of those requirements.So all we got is subdivision spin to go with their crowded McMausoleum houses that are an offense against good taste.Now Stockland intends to kill all the wildlife on the rest of the site. Will they provide a museum keeping place for all the dead possums, echidnas, reptiles and baby birds too?
Posted by: Jill Walker | 30/08/2010 at 01:22 PM