WATER Northern Rivers Alliance says despite decades of objection, Rous County Council (Rous) have just commissioned yet another heritage and biodiversity study in the Rocky Creek valley, between Dunoon and The Channon, in the heart of the Northern Rivers. However, this time, Rous’s heritage study is specifically seeking to excavate the registered, ancient, and sacred Widjabul Wia-bal cemetery.
WATER Northern Rivers says that for the first time, landholders are now ‘locking their gate’ by not allowing Rous or their consultants (Everick & Ecosure) physical access to their properties.
Resident Jan Petroff is refusing access to her property. ‘Considering there have already been extensive studies into the biodiversity and cultural heritage aspects, we regard this (the 2024 study) as a totally unnecessary waste of taxpayers’ money and a great inconvenience to all concerned, as this has already been going on for close to twenty years now.
Intrusion or destruction of sacred burial grounds completely unacceptable
‘Widjabul Wia-bal elders have made it very clear that they regard any intrusion or destruction of their sacred burial grounds as completely unacceptable. My family and I respect this, and will not be willing to allow access to Rous Water on our property now or in the future.’
A WATER Northern Rivers spokesperson said Rous’s consultant, Everick Heritage, are known locally for their heritage reports at the centre of other controversial ‘zombie developments’ such as, the Evans Head Iron Gates and North Lismore Plateau residential developments.
‘They also say that Rous’s tender document (p5) claims they received a request from Widjabul Wia-bal People to commission an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment for the proposed Dunoon Dam project area.
A statement from the Widjabul Wia-bal Gurrumbil Aboriginal Corporation
However, the following statement has been provided from the Widjabul Wia-bal Gurrumbil Aboriginal Corporation on behalf of Widjabul Wia-bal: “Widjabul Wia-bal Gurrumbil Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC strongly oppose the Dunoon Dam project. Widjabul Wia-bal Gurrumbil Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC do not support Rous County Council engaging Everick Heritage to undertake a further Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Survey of the area. If a further Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Survey is undertaken by Rous County Council, this must be done in direct consultation with Widjabul Wia-bal Gurrumbil Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC and adopt all recommendations made by the RNTBC on behalf of Widjabul Wia-bal.”
Please explain
WATER Northern Rivers is asking Rous to please explain this apparent contradiction?
WATER Northern Rivers says that there is no support from Traditional Owners nor is there a social licence. ‘We now challenge Rous to show our whole community just cause as to why they’re prepared to waste more of our public funds on a dead-end pipe dream. We believe this is yet another shameful waste of public resources in a long liturgy of abusing cultural heritage.’
A WATER Northern Rivers spokesperson said NSW’s recent Far North Coast Regional Water Strategy does not mention a dam at Dunoon, instead, it focuses on a range of other supply sources, including the underutilised Toonumbar Dam. ‘Rous would do well to reflect on Tamworth’s recent experience with their proposed Dungowan Dam. In this case the NSW Minister for Water, Rose Jackson, said that the “numbers didn’t stack-up”.
‘Rous might also consider that over the last three years, in Queensland, four proposed dam projects have either been cancelled or lapsed: Connors River Dam, Emu Swamp Dam, Nathan Dam, and the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam.’
All respect to Jan Petroff for standing with the Widjabul Wia-bal people and refusing access to Rous’ consultants.
Excavation of the burial sites would be deeply traumatising for the Traditional Owners. Rous knows that but has nevertheless insisted that excavation must be included in this new, unnecessary and expensive study.
And Rous’ awarding of the contract to the very consultant, Everick, that the Widjabul Wia-bal have said they deeply distrust, is just plain rude.
The Widjabul Wia-bal Gurrumbil Aboriginal Corporation (RNTBC) is the body through which Rous communicates officially with the Traditional Owners. Now that this corporation has spoken so clearly and strongly, maybe Rous will stop its laughable “consulting” and actually listen to what the Widjabul Wia-bal people have been saying repeatedly, in unison, for the last 20 years.
As my 10 yo grandson said to me recently about what Rous is doing to the Traditional Owners, “That is not consulting, it is insulting”.
What a fabulous 10 year old grandson you have Nan! Wise beyond many of his seniors at Rous it seems.
Thank you Jan Petroff for not allowing access to their land ❤️
What do you expect when the community elected these close minded councillors who campaigned on opposing water recycling by slogans such as” drinking poo water”?
Apart from this ongoing racism from ROUS, they ignore where the NSW State govt is going both on water security and on flood management – The State govt has recently stated they are looking at doubling the capacity of Sydneys Desal Plant, as THE only secure water supply, AND they are looking at leaving Sydneys Dams at half capacity of water stored so that the Dams can play a future role in holding back flood waters
Bullsh*t they are. As for the Desal plant at Kurnell, in Sydney, it hasn’t produced a drop of water since the NSW State government wasted near on a billion dollars of taxpayers money building it a couple of decades ago. Not to mention the millions of dollars it costs to keep the white elephant in mothballs each year since.
Sydneys Desal Plant has been running since 2010. Currently, the plant produces up to 15% of the city’s water. From 2023 the plant has been running on a flexible full time basis when needed, to produce up to 91.25 Gigalitres per year, depending on need.
NSW Gov, Minister for Water Oct 23 Press Release – “Doubling Down on Desalination. The NSW Government is rounding out National Water Week by beginning investigations to double the capacity of Sydney’s Desalination plant, to bolster future drought resilience and ensure we have the infrastructure to support housing and population growth. Expanding the desalination plant is a key initiative of the Greater Sydney Water Strategy which identified the need to invest in non-rain dependent alternatives. Work on the first stage of planning will get underway shortly and be finalised in 2024.” – Your allegation that they arent, and that it is not supplying water, is the crap in this converstaion. And note Melbourne and Adelaide have already turned to desalination plants for nearly half their water use, and there are about 270 operating desalination plants in Australia.
Thanks for mentioning that Mark. What a huge waste of money,although, those whose pockets were lined,dont agree.
Insurance is a bit like that too. A bloody awful waste of money – until you need it!
Great photo of Jan petroff refusing entry to Rous consultants preferring instead to protect indigenous burial sites.
Do you know in Bega a high school is built on an old cemetry. White black yellow. Its not used theres no sacret anything happening there. Show that?
not sure why my comment about Rous council membership was denied. the list of Councillors is public information.
These are the people pushing an agenda. work out yourself where they are coming from, both geographically and politically
Hi Kay,
we don’t approve comments that have links in them – if we do, the whole page becomes a mass of links and no one’s own opinion.
I did respond to your email address, but most people give fake ones…
cheers,
Eve
It’s not only NSW state government – experts in water security around the globe are rightly focusing efforts on alternative water sources which are both more reliable and sustainable than on-stream storage. Rous itself is exploring more reliable sources than a second dam on Rocky Creek – it just has to let go of last century’s distraction, and get on with building real water security for the climate-change century.
Destroying rare rainforest on sandstone, koala habitat and sacred indigenous sites is not the way forward when planning for future water needs. We need to preserve what natural wonders we have left. My appeal to The Echo Readers: Please don’t let them destroy the Channon Gorge. It is a magical natural wonder that deserves our protection.
That sounds exactly like what the Federal government is doing with its madcap net zero wind turbines and solar farms.
Neither work real well in rainforests!
Go Widgabul mob!!! Go Jan!!!
Jim is quite right -experts in water security have moved on and very ,very, few dams will be deemed necessary from now on. Rous is now exploring the alternatives , having done so in 2019-20 before this 2022 Council came along and elevated the dam to number one spot where it had previously never been. Rous has finally acknowleged that it will not get funding and wont get permission if the alternatives are not considered. Unfortunately everything about where Rous is now headed with recycling and desalination is being done in secret. I am waiting with bated breath for the terms of reference of the new studies and who are the “experts” doing them.
As a past Rous Councillor & Chairperson, I can testify that the ‘Water Infustry’ has a love of big projects (especially dams) in its DNA. Like wolves lurking in the darkness, if plays a waiting game – waiting for years, or decades if necessary, for a favourable political climate to progress their schemes. Conversely, it hates the concept of demand management, despite paying lip-seevice to it from time to time. The region doesn’t need more bulk supply – it just needs to manage the resource better.
How many cultural heritage studies have been done on the Dunoon site? I know there was a comprehensive one done while I was on Rous. It appears to have been conveniently buried.
This site is THE most reliable ,cleanest, cheapest and logistically appropriate water source in Australia.
As dams go it exceeds the criteria for dependability and has the added bonus of being a perfect site for pumped -hydro, green electricity storage and production.
The only thing standing in the way of our utilisation of this long planned and researched asset , is the fact that the down-stream property has recently been acquired by semi- professional career protestors, who have all the venues for blocking devopement at their disposal, and good luck to them, but this action is so blatantly self-serving and against the common good, it must be called out.
Cheers, G”)
You have a great imagination.
Sacred land and pristine environment..not for flooding..last big flood would have been catastrophic for Channon residents and beyond if that Dam was there..more water tanks for the coastal communities who need water..most of us in the country collect our own water..why can’t residential areas do it too..
Hasn’t anyone heard of SUSTAINABILITY??…or is it it that you choose to ignore it in favour of big development…jobs for the boys n their toys,so they can drink their profits at the pub and throw another peice of carcas on da barbie?…yep…Australia the beautiful!