Mike Baird's government to return Goat Island to Indigenous owners
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Version 0 of 1. The New South Wales government is taking steps to return Goat Island, known by the traditional owners as Me-mel, to the Aboriginal people, and has established a working group to establish how management of the island can be handed over. Aboriginal elder Bennelong and his wife, Barangaroo, were frequent visitors the the island, which was owned by Bennelong’s family. There have long been strong calls to return the island to the Aboriginal people, including from the former prime minister Paul Keating and the NSW opposition leader, Luke Foley. The NSW premier, Mike Baird, on Saturday said the island has “enormous cultural heritage significance for Aboriginal people”. “Our commitment to work with the local Aboriginal community provides an incredible opportunity to recognise this unique site always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land,” he said. “We are committed to ensuring Aboriginal leadership in management and decision-making for the sustainable use of Goat Island.” Baird announced a joint working group tasked with exploring how to allow Aboriginal management of the island, including through Aboriginal ownership. A business case will also be developed to unlock the economic potential of the island and ensure its sustainability. The island is currently owned and managed by National Parks and Wildlife. A conservation management plan for the island written by the department describes how much its Aboriginal heritage had been eroded. It has particular significance to the Gadigal people. Department staff wrote that: “The Goat Island landscape has been heavily impacted by European development since the early 19th century to such an extent that the only recorded and listed Aboriginal cultural heritage site on the island is a disturbed Aboriginal shell midden associated with a slight rock overhang on the eastern side of the island.” The island, which sits 1400m west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and spans about 54,000 square metres, has also served as a sandstone quarry, a convict worksite and was used for ammunition storage. The NSW minister for Aboriginal affairs, Leslie Williams, said the government knows Goat Island has special significance for Gadigal people but also acknowledges the island is a unique place that will provide economic, cultural and tourism opportunities for the Aboriginal community more broadly. Williams said the government would work with the Metro Local Aboriginal Land Council and other Aboriginal community representatives to explore opportunities for the island, including increasing public access and sharing cultural experiences. “We are absolutely committed to Aboriginal leadership for Goat Island, while also acknowledging its heritage significance to all NSW citizens,” she said. |