The Sandon Point community, on the New South Wales south coast, has been fighting for decades to protect the area from developers. Sandon Point is a declared Aboriginal site, significant for ecological and historical reasons and valued as public open space.
The Sandon Point Aboriginal Tent Embassy (SPATE) was established in December 2000, soon followed by the Sandon Point Community Picket in March 2001. SPATE was rebuilt following an arson attack in 2005. The 24/7 community picket structure was destroyed by arson in 2006 and transformed into a mobile picket.
In the face of such dangerous harassment, the local community nevertheless continues to work to protect and preserve the area.
Residents were outraged on November 29 when then-planning minister Kristina Keneally approved the controversial plans for a massive, 181-lot residential subdivision by developer Stockland.
Long-time campaigner for Sandon Point Jill Merrin said the decision was made just days before Keneally made her successful bid to become premier so the controversy would be overshadowed by another major media story.
The decision clearly ignores the wishes of the community. Merrin told Green Left Weekly: "Since 2000 — when Stockland first bought the land at Sandon Point days after the southern parts were rezoned — the community has been calling for the whole area to be retained as a regional park.
"The late Uncle Guboo Ted Thomas, an Aboriginal elder, said 'No houses at Sandon Point', and this is what most people believe should happen."
Opponents of the development claim the government not only ignored the wishes of the community, but also the advice of experts.
"The decision to rezone for development the land at Sandon Point to the west ignores the recommendations of the [2003] commission of inquiry as well as a range of government experts within the previous departments of natural resources (regarding creek corridors and flood risk), and environment and conservation (regarding protection of biodiversity), as well as Wollongong City Council (regarding flooding)", said Merrin.
"Aboriginal heritage experts have also said that the area is of very high cultural significance, containing a 6000-year-old intact burial site, a large tool-making site, several middens, and a women's site.
"To the east of the heritage-listed Turpentine Forest, where the Commissioners of Inquiry said there should be no development, will be a retirement village, on top of the women's site and well into the creek corridor.
"Sandon Point is at the confluence of four creeks. During floods these creeks join together to form a giant floodplain wetland, which absorbs the water and its high-flow energy, to release it slowly over time — cleaned by the filtration effects of plants, microbes and soil.
"To protect water quality and wildlife, biological experts say that any development should be at least 40 metres back from each creek bank, creating green corridors of 100m in total — this development will intrude well into these corridors", she said.
Residents are also unhappy with the relationship between Stockland and the NSW Labor Party.
Stockland development company has been a large donor to the Labor Party.*
"As the Greens have been making clear for many years now, on their website www.democracy4sale.org, there are obvious conflicts of interest in the current situation", Merrin said.
"Where a government minister makes decisions affecting land zoning and development approval, landowners can make huge profits for very little cost. In a very cosy relationship, the ALP accepts large donations from developers and there is clearly an expectation that they will provide something in return."
She says that despite the decision, residents will continue to fight for their public space. "Local people have been fighting to protect Sandon Point for decades. There are hundreds of people who've been active over the years, and thousands of people who've signed petitions and letters opposing the development.
"Many of those people are old, sick or have died. We need a renewed campaign, and are calling on the next generation of activists to come forward and fight for our country", she concluded.
[For more information, visit www.sandon-point.org.au.]
* Editor's note: Since mid-2008, Stockland has adopted a policy of not making political donations. Between 1999 and mid-2008, Stockland donated $430,908 to the state and federal branches of the Labor and Liberal parties, according to the Australian Electoral Commission. This figure, and its break down, can be found at Democracy 4 Sale.