Kyogle quarry work halted by urgent court action

Opponents of the Cedar Point Quarry near Kyogle have been granted an interim injunction that will stop any earthmoving at the site until a full court hearing on Friday.

Githabul elder Rob Williams had applied to the NSW Environment Court for the injunction yesterday and it was granted.

NSW Environmental Defenders Office principal solicitor Sue Higginson told Echonetdaily that Justice Moore had granted the interlocutory injunction until 10.30am on Friday.

‘That’s when we’re back in court to argue for the full injunction,’ Ms Higginson said.

Ms Higginson said on Friday the EDO would argue for a full injunction that would allow Mr Williams and an archeologist to access the site to commence a proper assessment of Aboriginal heritage.

‘From all the material we have analysed no proper archeological assessment has been done,’ Ms Higginson said.

‘The assements that have been undertaken describe the ground cover as too dense to do a proper assessment as to whether there is evidence of objects that would show habitation .. which is what the law is looking at,’ she said.

‘It’s against the law to harm objects without permission to do so.

‘Rob (Williams) will give evidence that there needs to be more rigourous assessments because the land was part of an important site and his concern is that Aboriginal objects will be harmed.

‘He’s concerned there will be burials on that site because it was an important male initiation site.’

‘If it is determined there are important objects the quarry would have to undertake fresh assessments and apply to destroy objects.’

The injunction follows claims this week that a security guard at the quarry stole an Aboriginal flag that had been hung on the gate to the quarry, and doused it with diesel oil.

Kyogle police told Echonetdaily that they were investigating the claims.