Submission to Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Name withheld by request
Reproduced with permission
I wish to object in the strongest possible terms to the proposed development and amendment to the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust [SHFT] for Terminal 10 on Middle Head.
The draft amendment and development proposal go against the spirit in which SHFT was set up and against the parameters set out in that Act and its associated Trust, nor is it consistent with the SHFT Comprehensive Plan nor the Middle Head Management Plan, which states the objective to be "To provide a lasting legacy for the people of Australia by helping to create the finest foreshore park in the world and to provide places that will greatly enrich the cultural life of the city and the nation.".
The use of designated public land for a commercial enterprise of this scale is unprecedented and is an example of development that SHFT was set up to prevent.
In the words of the then Prime Minister when the trust was established "...[the establishment of the Trust] will prevent any ad-hoc treatment of the return of the land to the people and it will ensure that there is maximum weight given to the desire of all Australians that the maximum advantage be derived in open space and recreational purposes in relation to the land."
Further, the Act states that "The Parliament intends to conserve and preserve land in the Sydney Harbour region for the benefit of present and future generations of Australians. ... Suitable land with significant environmental and heritage values will be returned to the people of Australia." Rather than open space for the benefit of present and future generations, it is proposed that Terminal 10 become an aged care facility for a very select few - effectively ensuring that the public cannot use the space.
Terminal 10 and the parcel of land around it was originally part of the first aboriginal land grant in Australia and it only became part of the military complex during the 2nd world war. A proponent has put forward using this space as the only aboriginal cultural centre in Sydney - a solution that embraces the cultural, heritage and natural values of the location.
Please act appropriately and ensure that there is complete and transparent public consultation on this issue. As Trustees, on behalf of the people of Australia, present and future, it is your duty of care to ensure that the development of Terminal 10 is done in full consultation with the public and in the best interests of the public, not a commercial business, regardless of what that business is involved in. It would be a very sad legacy for SHFT, and the Commonwealth Government, to allow a large scale development to ruin a place of such cultural significance and natural beauty to the peoples of Australia for the short-term gain of a business, whose main duty of care is to their shareholders or independent owners.
Yours sincerely,
Name withheld by request
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