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Dear Members and Supporters, Many of you attended the Minister’s Public Forum, but for those of you who were unable to be there ( or, like the media, not allowed in!) here’s our take on the event. The Minister for the Environment, the Hon Sussan Ley MP, cut a low profile, with a short introductory speech. She remained in the room but took no questions. Let’s hope she absorbed the audience’s comments, questions and passion about the issue. There were in excess of 300 people, 75% of whom had not attended any of the previous Review consultation sessions. Can this be attributed in good part to HPG’s efforts in publicising it and engaging the media? We’d like to think so! The forum was facilitated by Elton Consulting, who used a real-time survey tool, with data generated by audience input on their mobiles. Survey sheets were available also. The audience was given a little time to ask questions, but the format was designed to restrict questions to specific topics set by the Reviewers. Most of the questions posed were too broad to answer in a considered way and there was no opportunity to debate areas of concern. Highlights: In general, there was an overriding concern about the future of the Trust lands —concern about any involvement of the NSW Government, about funding and commercialisation, erosion of legal protections and a weakening focus on conservation and heritage protection.
90% felt the Harbour Trust should stay as the entity responsible for managing Trust lands.
There was overwhelming support for the lands not to be “sold off” with long leases granted to private entities, so the Trust could become self-funding. Many of the audience questions/comments were about this issue.
Informative and cogent comments were made, particularly by Nick Hollo, Phil Jenkyn and Peter Lowry, who were involved in the early days of the Trust 20 years ago. Read their comments here.
The audience expressed their dissatisfaction with communications around the Review process, and the Reviewers accepted those views. So much information that was essential to submitting considered responses came out after submissions closed, for example the Harbour Trust submission and information about the Cockatoo Island ‘art island’ proposal.
While submissions have officially closed, the Reviewers are happy to take further comment from HPG, particularly ideas about how Trust lands can be improved to enhance the public’s knowledge about, and access to, the heritage and multi-layered history of the sites. Please email your thoughts to savemiddlehead@gmail.com and they will be forwarded to the Reviewers.
The reviewers are particularly interested in receiving good ideas for the adaptive re-use of Trust Lands consistent with the Objects of the Trust. For example, one suggestion was that the Powerhouse Museum would be ideally located on Cockatoo Island.
If there is one thing we came away with, it is the importance of communicating your views. KEEP THE PRESSURE UP! We need your continuing support to continue our campaign to save our precious public land. You can renew your membership, join and/or donate here. Yours in support of public land,
Jill L’Estrange
HPG President
www.hpg.org.au PS HPG has created positive media coverage and support over the past week. It’s all on the website if you missed it.
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