| It is going to be interesting to see how this Shute Harbour Marina Project pans out. On the one hand we have an agreement with a group of supposedly Traditional Owners and on the other hand we have the Ngaro People who claim true ownership. David Mailman who is The Director-Principal Consultant of Qld Cultural Heritage and Native Title Management Services Pty Ltd will be,I am sure,aware of the claim that has been registered by the Ngaro People a few weeks ago.Will the Ngaro People be overlooked in the rush to get this project off the ground if all objections are rejected or will the Ngaro People be considered in negotiations as the true owners? Irene Butterwoth is a Tribal Elder with the Ngaro People and from a conversation with her recently she intimated to me that what is planned for Shute Harbour is not acceptable to her and her people.The Ngaro claim should hold up this project if the true Traditional Owners are to be recognised. This Marina Project is a disaster just waiting to release itself on our community. With far more objections against this project than the recent mining proposal that was rejected it would seem that this project is doomed to failure but strange things happen in the corridors of power. A politicians view:-- that she received 1500 letters about the Shale Oil proposal but next to no community concern has been expressed about the Shute harbour proposal. She supports the proposal. Quote: "it is just a tiny bit of a world heritage area" and "on balance it is good for this area" Jan Jarratt. Next to no community concern about this proposal!!! Are you kidding me. Opposite are comments made by J.E.N. Veron, Former Chief Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science.I take his comments seriously, and so should the Politicians,Peter Garrett included. | .Dr. J. E. N. Veron - Reef Scientist. As one of the few people who have worked on all the major coral reef regions of the world, I have become increasingly concerned about reef degradation that comes from coastal urbanisation. Australia stands almost alone in having extensive reefs that are still undamaged from this cause and thus I have long supported the efforts of GBRMPA to protect the Great Barrier Reef through managing coastal environments. The connection between reefs and adjacent land is now only too obvious: reefs degrade when coastal ecosystems are not preserved. Shute Harbour is one of the best-know components of the world’s most highly treasured reef region. Development of the foreshore is not in the national interest and nor is it long-term interest of the region. Unlike most of the world, we Australians still have a choice – either we conserve such places, or we loose them forever. When future generations look back, I hope they will see good management decisions where our best foreshore environments have been preserved for all time. |
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Shute Harbour Under Threat.
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1 comments:
Alf
Armchair Guide
Dear Alf,
Re: "Shute Harbour Under Threat"
First of all, I would like to thank you for the special mention I received in your blog (posted 10 December 2008).
Now onto the reason for responding to your blog, I note that there are several incorrect and misleading statements (comments) in your blog article and I would like to assist in correcting these so that people viewing your blog have the opportunity to make correctly informed decisions regarding the Traditional Owners and their involvement in the Shute Harbour Marina Cultural Heritage Management Agreement and the Whitsunday area.
1. I have been working in the area of cultural heritage and native title for a number of years and I would definitely be reluctant to refer to any group as "supposedly Traditional Owners”. These days it takes a professional opinion (Anthropologist Report) to define the make up of a claimant group, second hand hearsay or the say so of one member of a group is not sufficent.
2. Irene Butterworth and family members DO NOT constitute the Ngaro People. As there is no complete connection report (as far as I am aware) for the Whitsunday area, nobody has the right to say with absolute certainty who belongs and who doesn't, however I have viewed material that certainly implies that there are far more people with a claim (as a Traditional Owner) to the Whitsunday area than just the one family. (Just to be clear, I am not an Anthropologist)
3. There is not a registered Ngaro claim at this time nor has one been registered in the past several weeks (can be verified by contacting the National Native Title Tribunal in Brisbane or Cairns ph: 1800 640 501 and requesting information on the registered Ngaro claim in the Whitsunday area). An application may have been lodged with the Federal Court, however this does not mean that it is a registered Native Title claim as there is a process that all claims are required to go through called the registration test.
4. You make repeated references to the Ngaro People, when in fact you are talking about one family whose views and opinions do not reflect the views and opinions of the wider group that assert interests as Ngaro People. The family mentioned has had opportunities to be directly involved and have chosen not to.
5. The Ngaro People have not at any stage been overlooked in this matter, and further more all Ngaro and Gia People will be beneficiaries should the Shute Harbour Marina Development proceed. The agreement between Shute Harbour Marina Development and the Ngaro People and the Gia People provides some excellent opportunities for the Traditional Owner groups to break the dependency cycle, to further educate Australia and the world, showcase their own culture and have an agreed process for the management of cultural heritage. Developers willing to commit to this level of support and these types of opportunities are very rare. Shute Harbour Marina Development should be commended for their efforts and the provision of long standing potential benefits to the Ngaro and the Gia Traditional Owners through this agreement.
6. It was interesting to receive a letter from the Butterworth family in support of the Shute Harbour Marina Development and the agreement; this would suggest that not all the Butterworths are in support of Irene Butterworth. (Copy of letter available upon request)
7. It is also interesting that family members of the people asserting themselves as the "true" Ngaro people were active participants in conducting cultural heritage activities on the Shale Oil project near Proserpine within the Gia REGISTERED Native Title Claimant area (photos of members participating in activities in the field are available upon request). If the family mentioned is asserting that they are the "true" Ngaro People, why are they participating in cultural activities in other areas?
8. I sincerely doubt that a new claim over the Whitsunday area would hold up the development of the marina, as all those asserting an interest in the area have had the opportunity to be involved and all those asserting an interest in the area would be the same people asserting an interest in a native title application (claim).
I thank you for allowing me to assist in clarifying some of these matters.
Should you have any further questions, or require further assistance in clarifying these matters, I can be contacted directly on 0419 726443.
Regards,
David Mailman
Director – Principal Consultant
Qld Cultural Heritage And Native Title Management Services Pty Ltd (QCHANTMS)
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