Latest news with #DefenceHousing
The Advertiser
17-06-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Land clearing for defence housing remains on hold
Further land-clearing work for defence housing at a sensitive Indigenous site is on hold following a ruling that a legal challenge must be resolved first. Eighteen hectares of land at Lee Point, north of Darwin, has already been cleared by Defence Housing Australia to make way for an 800-home development. The area - known as Binybara to its traditional owners - is home to endangered birds including the Gouldian finch and has heritage significance for the Larrakia people. Advocacy group Environmental Justice Australia said the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal had ruled site work cannot continue until a legal challenge from Larrakia Elder Tibby Quall was heard. "This significant decision provides vital interim protection for a place of great cultural and ecological importance to the Larrakia people," EJA said in a statement on Tuesday. EJA, the Environment Centre NT and Mr Quall allege the necessary plans and approvals had not been produced for the project under the NT Planning Act. Defence Housing voluntarily stopped work at Lee Point in August 2023 to allow a cultural heritage application to be assessed after members of the Larrakia nation described the area as culturally significant and asked that it be preserved. The application was rejected in March 2024, despite pleas to then federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek to act to protect threatened species in the area. But the EJA said the tribunal had found the NT Heritage Council's process of consultation was flawed because it failed to consult Mr Quall. It also found the council failed to consider its heritage significance. "An acknowledgement like this from the tribunal is really strong. Our culture and this case will remain, for our children in the future, their children, they will have something," Mr Quall said in a statement. EJA lawyer Kip Frawley said Mr Quall had been clear since he first objected to the development in 2017 that "this is Larrakia Country and the sacred sites and cultural objects on Larrakia Country belong to them, and to the land". The tribunal ruled Defence Housing must stop work at Lee Point until the tribunal's proceedings were finally determined. In May, Defence Housing was fined $18,780 for illegally clearing land at the site. The EJA said a community blockade of the site in 2023 drew national attention to the issue but risks to the land remained. "The injunction marks a critical moment, ensuring no further damage can occur while the tribunal matter proceeds." Defence Housing said in a statement to AAP it was considering the tribunal's decision. "The Lee Point development is a significant project not just for Defence families but for its contribution to the NT economy and its assistance in addressing Darwin's critical housing shortage." Defence Housing said out of the site's 132 hectares more than 33 hectares would be set aside for conservation purposes, while more than 22 hectares would transfer to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security to expand the Casuarina Coastal Reserve. It said that following an archaeological survey, artefacts from the site were relocated with the participation of traditional owners and were now securely held by the Larrakia Development Corporation. Further land-clearing work for defence housing at a sensitive Indigenous site is on hold following a ruling that a legal challenge must be resolved first. Eighteen hectares of land at Lee Point, north of Darwin, has already been cleared by Defence Housing Australia to make way for an 800-home development. The area - known as Binybara to its traditional owners - is home to endangered birds including the Gouldian finch and has heritage significance for the Larrakia people. Advocacy group Environmental Justice Australia said the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal had ruled site work cannot continue until a legal challenge from Larrakia Elder Tibby Quall was heard. "This significant decision provides vital interim protection for a place of great cultural and ecological importance to the Larrakia people," EJA said in a statement on Tuesday. EJA, the Environment Centre NT and Mr Quall allege the necessary plans and approvals had not been produced for the project under the NT Planning Act. Defence Housing voluntarily stopped work at Lee Point in August 2023 to allow a cultural heritage application to be assessed after members of the Larrakia nation described the area as culturally significant and asked that it be preserved. The application was rejected in March 2024, despite pleas to then federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek to act to protect threatened species in the area. But the EJA said the tribunal had found the NT Heritage Council's process of consultation was flawed because it failed to consult Mr Quall. It also found the council failed to consider its heritage significance. "An acknowledgement like this from the tribunal is really strong. Our culture and this case will remain, for our children in the future, their children, they will have something," Mr Quall said in a statement. EJA lawyer Kip Frawley said Mr Quall had been clear since he first objected to the development in 2017 that "this is Larrakia Country and the sacred sites and cultural objects on Larrakia Country belong to them, and to the land". The tribunal ruled Defence Housing must stop work at Lee Point until the tribunal's proceedings were finally determined. In May, Defence Housing was fined $18,780 for illegally clearing land at the site. The EJA said a community blockade of the site in 2023 drew national attention to the issue but risks to the land remained. "The injunction marks a critical moment, ensuring no further damage can occur while the tribunal matter proceeds." Defence Housing said in a statement to AAP it was considering the tribunal's decision. "The Lee Point development is a significant project not just for Defence families but for its contribution to the NT economy and its assistance in addressing Darwin's critical housing shortage." Defence Housing said out of the site's 132 hectares more than 33 hectares would be set aside for conservation purposes, while more than 22 hectares would transfer to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security to expand the Casuarina Coastal Reserve. It said that following an archaeological survey, artefacts from the site were relocated with the participation of traditional owners and were now securely held by the Larrakia Development Corporation. Further land-clearing work for defence housing at a sensitive Indigenous site is on hold following a ruling that a legal challenge must be resolved first. Eighteen hectares of land at Lee Point, north of Darwin, has already been cleared by Defence Housing Australia to make way for an 800-home development. The area - known as Binybara to its traditional owners - is home to endangered birds including the Gouldian finch and has heritage significance for the Larrakia people. Advocacy group Environmental Justice Australia said the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal had ruled site work cannot continue until a legal challenge from Larrakia Elder Tibby Quall was heard. "This significant decision provides vital interim protection for a place of great cultural and ecological importance to the Larrakia people," EJA said in a statement on Tuesday. EJA, the Environment Centre NT and Mr Quall allege the necessary plans and approvals had not been produced for the project under the NT Planning Act. Defence Housing voluntarily stopped work at Lee Point in August 2023 to allow a cultural heritage application to be assessed after members of the Larrakia nation described the area as culturally significant and asked that it be preserved. The application was rejected in March 2024, despite pleas to then federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek to act to protect threatened species in the area. But the EJA said the tribunal had found the NT Heritage Council's process of consultation was flawed because it failed to consult Mr Quall. It also found the council failed to consider its heritage significance. "An acknowledgement like this from the tribunal is really strong. Our culture and this case will remain, for our children in the future, their children, they will have something," Mr Quall said in a statement. EJA lawyer Kip Frawley said Mr Quall had been clear since he first objected to the development in 2017 that "this is Larrakia Country and the sacred sites and cultural objects on Larrakia Country belong to them, and to the land". The tribunal ruled Defence Housing must stop work at Lee Point until the tribunal's proceedings were finally determined. In May, Defence Housing was fined $18,780 for illegally clearing land at the site. The EJA said a community blockade of the site in 2023 drew national attention to the issue but risks to the land remained. "The injunction marks a critical moment, ensuring no further damage can occur while the tribunal matter proceeds." Defence Housing said in a statement to AAP it was considering the tribunal's decision. "The Lee Point development is a significant project not just for Defence families but for its contribution to the NT economy and its assistance in addressing Darwin's critical housing shortage." Defence Housing said out of the site's 132 hectares more than 33 hectares would be set aside for conservation purposes, while more than 22 hectares would transfer to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security to expand the Casuarina Coastal Reserve. It said that following an archaeological survey, artefacts from the site were relocated with the participation of traditional owners and were now securely held by the Larrakia Development Corporation. Further land-clearing work for defence housing at a sensitive Indigenous site is on hold following a ruling that a legal challenge must be resolved first. Eighteen hectares of land at Lee Point, north of Darwin, has already been cleared by Defence Housing Australia to make way for an 800-home development. The area - known as Binybara to its traditional owners - is home to endangered birds including the Gouldian finch and has heritage significance for the Larrakia people. Advocacy group Environmental Justice Australia said the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal had ruled site work cannot continue until a legal challenge from Larrakia Elder Tibby Quall was heard. "This significant decision provides vital interim protection for a place of great cultural and ecological importance to the Larrakia people," EJA said in a statement on Tuesday. EJA, the Environment Centre NT and Mr Quall allege the necessary plans and approvals had not been produced for the project under the NT Planning Act. Defence Housing voluntarily stopped work at Lee Point in August 2023 to allow a cultural heritage application to be assessed after members of the Larrakia nation described the area as culturally significant and asked that it be preserved. The application was rejected in March 2024, despite pleas to then federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek to act to protect threatened species in the area. But the EJA said the tribunal had found the NT Heritage Council's process of consultation was flawed because it failed to consult Mr Quall. It also found the council failed to consider its heritage significance. "An acknowledgement like this from the tribunal is really strong. Our culture and this case will remain, for our children in the future, their children, they will have something," Mr Quall said in a statement. EJA lawyer Kip Frawley said Mr Quall had been clear since he first objected to the development in 2017 that "this is Larrakia Country and the sacred sites and cultural objects on Larrakia Country belong to them, and to the land". The tribunal ruled Defence Housing must stop work at Lee Point until the tribunal's proceedings were finally determined. In May, Defence Housing was fined $18,780 for illegally clearing land at the site. The EJA said a community blockade of the site in 2023 drew national attention to the issue but risks to the land remained. "The injunction marks a critical moment, ensuring no further damage can occur while the tribunal matter proceeds." Defence Housing said in a statement to AAP it was considering the tribunal's decision. "The Lee Point development is a significant project not just for Defence families but for its contribution to the NT economy and its assistance in addressing Darwin's critical housing shortage." Defence Housing said out of the site's 132 hectares more than 33 hectares would be set aside for conservation purposes, while more than 22 hectares would transfer to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security to expand the Casuarina Coastal Reserve. It said that following an archaeological survey, artefacts from the site were relocated with the participation of traditional owners and were now securely held by the Larrakia Development Corporation.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ANDREW PIERCE: The reward for betraying your party? £600 a day
When Tory MP Natalie Elphicke defected to Labour last May, most of us assumed she would be rewarded for her treachery. How right we were! Elphicke, whose opportunistic move appalled most of her new-found Labour colleagues – she'd backed Liz Truss for the Tory leadership and was a hardliner on immigration – was last month made chairman of the Defence Housing Strategy review team. This aims to improve the often lamentable condition of homes used by military families. Her salary is £600 a day. Nice work if you can get it. Elphicke, who stood down from Parliament at the last election, was once a champion of the Tory Rwanda migrant scheme. She then defected, arguing Labour would stop the small boats. Which makes her deluded as well as greedy. Under Labour, record numbers of migrants are crossing the Channel, to the horror of her former constituents in Dover. The Government seems determined to sell out our fishermen – part of its 'reset' with the EU. And that means we can expect some particularly telling contributions from Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader. Farage is now the proud owner of a commercial fishing boat. 'I have a skipper that runs that boat, and I'm not making any money on it,' he says. 'I can promise you, the rules and regulations put upon our small commercial fleet since Brexit are worse than they were when we were a member of the European Union.' Will the BBC welcome Boris Becker back to its Wimbledon coverage this year to mark the 40th anniversary of his first victory? He's been off Auntie's airwaves since a bankruptcy scandal led to his imprisonment. He wants to return – but the BBC won't say if it's game on. Nigel Farage was quick to overrule hapless Reform chairman Zia Yusuf after he insisted only the Union Flag and the flag of St George would be allowed to fly above Reform town halls in England. Farage now says county banners can also be flown. Sensible. Proud Lancastrian Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the Commons, was enraged by Yusuf's diktat. He expects to see the red rose flying above every official building in his native county. As any MP knows, it's best to keep on the right side of the Speaker. The fateful meeting in the summer of 2019 when Morgan McSweeney agreed to run Sir Keir Starmer's Labour leadership campaign was brokered by Steve Reed, a relatively unknown MP. Reed and McSweeney, now No 10 chief of staff, used to work together at Lambeth Council. 'Loyalty and gratitude are the hallmarks of politicians,' says Reed, now the Environment Secretary. 'That's the only way I can account for being rewarded with the department for sewage and angry farmers.' Baroness Anderson has had her revenge. Formerly Ruth Smeeth, she had a rough time as a Jewish Labour MP during the Jeremy Corbyn years. Now a Lords whip, she adapted an old remark on Wednesday to say: 'The Labour party is a broad synagogue.' That's called getting even. Impressionist Rory Bremner recalls playing tennis with Tony Blair on holiday in France before he won the 1997 General Election. 'Blair said he loved what I did with John Major and I said: 'When you become prime minister next year the boot will be on the other foot – I'll be doing you'.'
