The White-Footed Dunnart.. a native Australian marsupial, also listed as vulnerable in NSW.
“It has been a massive struggle. The Department of Planning just sat on their hands and didn’t seem to want to make any sort of decision. As much as we pushed them, and the developer pushed them as well, it made no difference.
“Would it have made a difference if they were dealing with Mirvac, Lend Lease or Macquarie Bank? I doubt they would have got held up like we did.”
Shane also hopes that the NSW land rights system takes note of what occurred.
“Initially, when we first started this project, NSWALC was a problem because it had nothing in place to deal with a development like this.
“We would ring up and they had no idea how to answer our questions. They didn’t have a commercial unit back then, they weren’t thinking about the big picture stuff.
“So we started doing stuff ourselves, then they started to put steps in place.
“I think some of the things we did forced NSWALC’s hand a bit.
“With the Commercial Unit (at NSWALC) now, they’re helpful, definitely.
“Sometimes I think they’re a bit pedantic, but maybe under the Act they’ve just got to be.”
Shane acknowledges that many of the land dealings which had progressed in the past had “been bad”. But he thinks reforms have gone too far.
“Before, you had no protections. Now I think it’s too much. It can be really restrictive, and it can take forever to do anything.
“I definitely understand how that came about – there was nothing in place before the rules changed, so it was just open slather.
“You read the horror stories about Koompahtoo and other land councils where it was just shocking, and you understand why it is the way it is today.
“But it’s too weighted now in the other direction. Somehow or another we have to straighten it out so it’s level, so there’s protections in place but so that it’s not impossible to get things done.”
Shane doesn’t know exactly how much the development will make for Ulladulla LALC – there’s a lot of variables, but the figure is in the millions.
And nor are they entirely sure what they’ll do with the profit. At least not yet.
“We have more plans in our Community Land and Business Plan which are about development,” he says.
“And we’ve got our own education trust. We want to put a bigger amount of money in it and maybe open the scope a little bit wider.
“We’ve bought other blocks of land, and we bought one with a house on it. The block of land itself is nearly 2000 sqm so we might look at putting units on it, maybe keep a couple for our elders.
“It depends on the market as to what we might do.
“We do need a more appropriate LALC office, a culture centre and museum.
“There’s plenty of stuff we want to do. Maybe buy some more houses for our members, look at smaller houses as well to house singles.
“We’ve got other land we’d like to look at developing as well, but maybe being able to do it ourselves the next time.”
In particular, ULALC is looking at other major developments with eight blocks of land in particular.
“Five of those are really close to town. They’re pretty well the last blocks of land in Ulladulla.
“We’re sitting on a major asset, and we have about another 100 undetermined land claims in the system.”
Which is a whole other story, because if you think National Parks and the Department of Planning can stall things, the undetermined blocks of land on ULALCs books are tied up in the NSW Department of Lands.
Many of them have been waiting on a government decision for more than a decade.
Still, Shane is confident the ULALC and its members has the mettle to get the jobs done.
“None of what has happened would have been possible without the assistance and encouragement of the Board and Members to keep going even when it all seemed impossible.”
So watch this space.
* Chris Graham is the managing editor of Tracker magazine. If you have a positive LALC story you’d like to see in LALC Land, email him on chris.graham@alc.org.au
3 Comments
Land Grabbers thats all National Parks are. It just goes to show what they value, a Dunnart I know my people are endangered in this country and to think once we come under the National Parks and wildlife Act the mind boggles. It would be different if we had hundreds and thousands of acres in land in this state to play with. The governments of NSW since the inception of the Land Rights Act in NSW are shameful our claims are usually crap land the Gubbahs do not want ( only to a Murri wants it) and then we wait for decades to their departments make a decision on it Land Claims are a joke. Why is being a Murri so hard yes of course we are uniquely different but we are not stupid we all play the game hoping that the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter, our kids getting educated, our health to get better, our Elders living longer, our people and especially our youth stop being goaled. It is simple NO LAND NO PEOPLE all our losses stem from the disrespect of culture and foremost the dispossession of our Land. Our land was our whole being and it is not ownership how a Gubba sees it we feel it big difference
This is highly emotive subject, and the author should have been careful to potray the facts accurately and in a way that doesnt cause misunderstanding. Attributing blame to certain parties shouldnt be done in this way either. I personally know that some of this information is misrepresented.
Environmental laws apply to EVERYONE and are in place to protect our natural heritage for ALL future generations. Environmental assessments are not a mindless bureacratic box, which you try to get it ticked off before starting a development, but a process where you fully assess what is on the site and its true environmental value, to assess what restrictions should apply, or if development should occur at all. The results are important and not inconsequential.
I have heard the catch cry of ‘creating local jobs’ for decades in the Shoalhaven as a justification for development yet it has never really materialised, and is usually used to pressure government agencies into approving something without due process. The develpment process can also be delayed or have to be restarted totally if the proponents, owners, developers or concept plans change.
I was surprised at the tone of the article in which, the local Land Council appears to be mocking the findings of the Environmental Report. These reports are thorough and are conducted in a scientific manner. Given the Land Council’s claim to be connected with their land, I would naively assume the results would have pleased the Land Council. More or less, endorsing their claim to its importance. Maybe I am misunderstanding their connection with land.
I understand their are many complexities in this issue, and am disappointed that it has been portayed in this manner
I do understand that enviromental law is for everyone, it is a slow, expensive process. The understanding to what LAND means to Aboriginal people is a even slower process for Governments and the
non-aboriginal population. Lets just say Biame (God) gave us this land for us to care for it Sorry all land in this country was significant and sacred to one of the many Tribes that used to exist in this land.
Aboriginal connection to the land means our whole being our law and lore is based on its many features geographically and the many spiritual beliefs are associated to those features. Science will not tell you these things but the people will. All the red tape associated with development makes someone rich and it is not us Murris. As for Land Claims take a trip up my way and look at all the crown land that has been fenced off and leased to the neighbouring cocky or the would be Kidman as long as it dosn’t go to the Murris “shame” walk on country and feel it and know it then talk about connection.