Yaegl Elder, patriarch, anthropologist, historian, former university lecturer, Doctor of Letters honoris causa Ron Heron of Yamba passed away on Thursday 13 July 2023 and his funeral will be held on Monday 24 July. NOTE: This post includes the image of a person who is deceased

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 19 July 2023:

The Indigenous community and people across the Clarence Valley are mourning the death of Yaegl Elder Uncle Ron Heron, who passed away on Thursday, July 13. He is pictured here at the opening of the Yuraygir Coastal Walk in 2014. Image: Geoff Helisma.

Aboriginal communities across Australia and people from the Northern Rivers are in mourning following the sudden passing of renowned Yaegl patriarch Uncle Ron Heron.

Uncle Ron Heron was born at Lismore in 1947, schooled in the mission system and worked in the Clarence Valley as a cane cutter and picking peas until he decided to make his mark on the world in his early 30’s.

His niece Lesley King told the CV Independent Uncle Ron was a working as a cane cutter when he woke one day determined to make his mark on Aboriginal society and education.

“Prior to all the studies he did, he was just an ordinary cane cutter, he used to go and do cane cutting all around the Clarence River,” she said.

“Then he woke up one day thinking he had to do something else with his life, he said he just decided ‘this isn’t me’, so he started studying, it was his own wake up call.

“So, he started working with Community Health in the Clarence Valley as an Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol counsellor, and he did a bit of work in the Richmond Valley travelling all around to places like Baryulgil.”

Lesley said Uncle Ron decided to go to university, so he moved the Canberra to study and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Letters, by thesis (now Master of Letters) in prehistory and anthropology.

“After he got his degree, he came back to the Richmond River area and he worked at Southern Cross University at Lismore for 10 years lecturing in Indigenous Studies,” she said.

Once a year Macquarie University came to Maclean High School as part of the Rivers of Learning program and Uncle Ron was involved in a week of training and learning, Lesley said, then they would all celebrate together.

Contributions to extensive research at Macquarie University on bush medicines, in international scientific journals, lectures and storytelling led to Uncle Ron being awarded a Doctor of Letters honoris causa from Macquarie University in September 2014, an extremely proud moment for the family and the Yaegl people.

“The family were so proud of Uncle Ron, he worked hard all of his study life,” Lesley said.

“He was a very gentle man; he was very positive in everything he did.

“He was passionate about Aboriginal issues, mostly with archaeology, but also with National Parks and Wildlife, to help educate the other side of the world, the Europeans.

“Uncle Ron met tonnes of beautiful people in his work and in his training and left a positive mark with everyone he met.”

When a mural of Uncle Ron painted on a pump station at Maclean was graffitied in 2022, Lesley said he was ‘gutted’, but when artist Nitsua unveiled a repainted mural in June 2023, he was immensely proud…..

During NAIDOC Week celebrations early this month, Lesley said Uncle Ron had a great time at the elders’ lunch and at the South Grafton community day.

“He was great, he was laughing and out meeting mates and friends and other Elders,” she said.

“Then he got sick on the weekend, and we took him to Maclean Hospital and all his tests were good until he had a blood test and we found out he had a heart attack.”

After the shock of the news Uncle Ron had suffered a heart attack, Lesley said arrangements were made for him to have bypass surgery, but tragically he passed away before the operation…..

“He was the father of all of us Yaegl people after we lost our mum and for all the other’s that had lost their mum and dad.

“Right up until his passing he was teaching all of his grandchildren what he was trained to do.”

Uncle Ron Heron will be farewelled at the Maclean Anglican Church on Monday, July 24, at a time to be confirmed.

With GCB Constructions Pty Ltd still in financial difficulties and tradesmen allegedly owed more than $1 million, the Uniting Church 50-unit retirement complex in Yamba remains in limbo

For over four months the Uniting Church’s 50-unit retirement complex build site in Yamba has remained devoid of all construction activity and the financial difficulties of the Gold Coast & Lismore-based builder remains unresolved.

The build before scaffolding was removed from the idle construction site.

This situation for a construction company built on the foundations of a small family business is a far cry from the optimistic outlook of 2011.

The Gold Coast Bulletin, 20 July 2023, p6:

The director of embattled Gold Coast builder GCB Constructions insists his company is viable, despite five more companies joining court action to wind it up.

GCB managing director Trent Clark said he was “determined and confident” of overcoming financial struggles which have seen work slow to a trickle or completely stop at sites along the east coast since May 8.

There has been good news for buyers in GCB’s largest project, Marine Quarter at Southport, who were told via email the site’s tower crane would return to operation and concrete work would recommence this week.

Subcontractors and suppliers of the company have lashed Queensland’s building regulator for not taking more decisive action on GCB’s licence. The licence was restricted on June 26, requiring GCB to submit its accounts weekly and preventing it from taking on new projects without express QBCC approval.

The QBCC acted almost two months after sites had shut down – amid subbies’ complaints they had not been paid – and a month after the wind-up action was initiated…..

Mr Clark did not answer questions about the current status of the wind-up. “Court actions are regularly taken against builders and we are working through these in an orderly fashion,” he said in a statement….

Buildcap, developer of the $97m Marine Quarter development under construction by GCB at Southport, emailed buyers on Wednesday, telling them work was due to ramp up on site this week.

“Works ... include the pouring of the slab of level 26 as well as level 27 stairwell and core walls, along with external facade works such as installation of windows and balustrading, render and painting,” the email said.

But down the NSW coast at Yamba, where GCB was building a 50-apartment retirement building for Uniting, work stalled in October and has not resumed since. One family business owner said they were owed a six-figure sum by the builder, who had ceased all communication with them by February. A statement from Uniting on Wednesday said “disappointingly work on the apartments and clubhouse remains on hold for now.” “While it’s expected that there will be a delay, Uniting is committed to completing all the planned works, including the apartments, and building a vibrant welcoming community,” the statement said.

Mr Clark did not answer the Bulletin’s questions about the Yamba project. GCB is battling major cases with two developers of its projects, which GCB claims owe it more than $14m, neither of which look likely to be resolved in the near future.

Dean Gallagher’s GDI Group, developer of the 27-storey Drift tower at Main Beach, launched action in May against GCB, claiming it failed to lodge security bonds worth more than $3.7m.

In turn, GCB alleges the developer owes them $3.8m in progress payments. The case has been set for a hearing on August 2. GCB is suing the developer of the $196m Ascot Aurora project in Brisbane, seeking more than $10m from a subsidiary of China-owned Poly Global. Poly has lodged a defence and counterclaim in that case, and both parties have been given until mid October to disclose their evidence. Mr Clark did not answer questions on how important succeeding in those cases was to his company’s viability, except to blame the alleged “non-payment from developers” for “some of the hiccups we have experienced”. GCB’s licence remained active on Wednesday.

The Gold Coast Bulletin, 21 January 2023, p.9:

In its most recently-lodged financial reports, for FY2021-22, GCB made $938,755 net profit from revenue of $92.04m. Its FY21 net profit was $1.1m from $67.4m revenue.

The company had gross assets of $25.3m and liabilities of $18.3m, including trade debts of more than $10.7m.

Cashflow would have been in negative territory for the year, had the builder not had access to cash from financing activities, including a share issue, bank loan and other drawdowns. It had $87,947 cash or equivalents at the end of June.

The company is registered as G C B Constructions and solely directed by Trent Clark.

Qld 'whiteshoe brigade' developer Graeme Ingles, and Goldcoral Pty Ltd, determined to continue pursuit of the Iron Gate Development proposal in the face of a community which has been resisting development on this site since the 1990s

 

Echo, 19 July 2023:

Evans Heads locals and other concerned members of the public form the Northern Rivers have raised concerns over Richmond Valley Council’s (RVC) apparent lack of preparation to defend the controversial Iron Gates appeal currently underway in the Land and Environment Court (L&EC) in Sydney.

The development application (DA) was rejected by the Northern Regional Planning Panel (NRPP) in September 2022. An appeal was immediately launched by Gold Coast developer Graeme Ingles. Ingles has been trying to regain approval for residential development of the site since his approval was stripped by the L&EC in 1997 after illegal clearing and other works were done at the site. Remediation was required by the L&EC of approximately $2 million, however, this work has never been done by Ingles.

Some of the drains that the developer was ordered to fill that still hasn’t been done over twenty years later. Photo supplied

The current iteration of seeking a DA for residential development is now in its ninth year. The NRPP had roundly rejected the DA by Goldcoral Pty Ltd following a public hearing on the development and two independent professional assessments which recommended refusal. Grounds for rejection included serious fire, flood, ecological and Aboriginal cultural and town planning concerns.

Following his appeal application to the L&EC Ingles put the Iron Gates property up for sale by but the property was withdrawn from sale early in 2023. Goldcoral Pty Ltd was then put into administration and the appeal case in the L&EC was taken over by the large legal firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth from Ingles’ solicitor.

Developer Graeme Ingles. Photo inglesgroup. com.au

Public refused right to know basis of appeal

The matter proceeded to a Section 34 Hearing by a L&EC Commissioner held on site at the Iron Gates at Evans Head. Submissions against the appeal were presented by the public despite the fact that the basis for the appeal was not made public.

Public excluded from onsite meetings

The public was then excluded from further negotiation with the Commissioner, and the parties to the case, including a second respondent, the Bandjalang People, retired behind closed Iron Gates and closed Richmond Valley Council (RVC) chambers for further talks.

The community was not informed of the outcome of the discussions with the Commissioner by RVC’s solicitor who had overseen the public representations. Council’s solicitor declined to respond to questions about the case on the grounds that Council was its client, not the public……

Simone Barker (nee Wilson), daughter of the late Lawrence Wilson who opposed the development back in the 1990s accompanied by supporter Jaydn.

Revised reports not available to public and RVC substantially redacted

None of the new plans or revised expert reports presented by the appellant (Goldcoral Pty Ltd) and considered by the Court are publicly available. Those auditing the case (15 parties at one point during the day) were forced to infer what had been claimed.….

Iron Gates Road in flood March 2022. Photo supplied

Insufficient review time for RVC

Counsel representing Council complained to the Registrar about the fact that it had only just received material pertinent to the case from the Appellant and had insufficient time to review it. And Counsel representing Goldcoral complained that the material it was presenting to the Court needed substantial work to accommodate the significant changes to documentation necessitated by the heavily redacted RVC affidavit, changes accepted by the Registrar and parties to the case.

Despite the complaints the parties worked to adapt to the revised circumstances and most of the afternoon’s hearing was given to presentation by the legal representative from Goldcoral about the revisions to the plan for residential development. In essence the case was put that the material was for a revised development which took account of many of the criticisms put to the NRPP which led to the DA’s refusal.

LEP wetlands riparian map of Iron Gates site and Evans Head. Image supplied

Proposed changes included, among many matters, the extent of the development footprint, reduction in total area of the development, changes to size and diversity of blocks, changes to the internal roads including a new fire trail around the site, a new refuge area for fire and flood for residents cut off during such events, increased setbacks from littoral conservation areas, new consultation processes with Aboriginal stakeholders yet to be completed, changes to earthworks with reductions in mass and impact, changes to vegetation clearance and changes to stormwater management. The hearing with the Registrar is set to continue next Tuesday. Those interested in following the case can obtain details from the Land and Environment Court site.

A spokesperson from Evans Head Residents for Sustainable Development (EHRFSD) said today following the Hearing that it was disappointing to witness the wholesale, and what appeared to be, valid criticism of the case material prepared by the staff of Richmond Valley Council in their affidavit to the Court. The problem was made worse by the fact that the material was not made available to the public and Council’s General Manager had written a generic letter to those asking for more information about the case that it would not be doing so:

Significant cost to ratepayers

The spokesperson for EHRFSD said that the case had already costed ratepayers a seven figure amount and more costs were on the way. He also added that given that the community had provided so much valid criticism about the former DA that it was decidedly wrong to exclude the community from the information attached to the case.

‘The community is not asking for a “running commentary” on legal proceedings,’ he said. ‘We have never done so. What we are asking for is the basic information such as new reports and affidavits and plans on which the case for an amended DA is based so that we can assess for ourselves the veracity of materials being presented, follow court proceedings and draw our own conclusions. The community is not stupid and has much to offer and it is becoming patently clear through what appears to be a dismal performance by council in material preparation, that community input may be essential to the case as it has been in the past for success.

‘There is no doubt that the case is a complex one but this is not a ground for refusing to provide basic information to an interested public, particularly one that has already gone through four versions of the DA and made substantial submissions.

‘As it currently stands the question before the Court, as we understand it is, “are the changes to the application so significant that it should be a new DA process, or should it be approved by the L&EC without further consideration by the public, as an amended application?”

‘It is our view that even in the absence of detailed information the amendment application looks like a very different application to the one we have seen and should be treated accordingly as a new DA,’ he told The Echo.

‘But there is a bigger question here which council has refused, and continues to refuse, to deal with and that is, “is the Iron Gates a suitable area for residential development or should it be rezoned in keeping with it natural and cultural attributes for environmental protection?”

‘This is a question that the community has been asking for a review of for decades. It is important to remember that this land was zoned for residential development in the early 1980’s, forty years ago when the “white shoe” brigade was in ascendance.

‘It is vital to ask the question “is residential zoning appropriate here today given the future impacts of climate change and our better understanding of the environment, protection of the public interest, and keeping the public out of harm’s way? There is recent precedent for doing so in the Clarence Valley,’ he explained.

Read the full article at:

https://www.echo.net.au/2023/07/richmond-valley-council-drops-the-ball-in-appeals-case-before-the-lec/

NATIONAL REFERENDUM 2023: from this point onwards it may be less safe for people of goodwill to venture into public spaces - so tainted with malice and misinformation has the debate become courtesy of those parliamentary dissenters

 

For months now the entire country has known the exact wording of the national referendum question and text of the constitutional amendment which will create a permanent advisory body composed of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander representatives of the First Nations peoples of Australia.

National Referendum Question

“A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

**********

Text of additional clause to be inserted in the Constitution if referendum question is answered by a double majority in the affirmative

“Chapter IX Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.”

**********

On the morning of Wednesday, 31 May 2023 the second and third reading of the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 Bill occurred in the House of Representatives and was passed by a majority of the House with just 25 members out of a total of 145 members dissenting.

The parliamentary dissenters in alphabetical order were:

Birrell, Sam. J. Boyce, C. E. Buchholz, Scott (Teller)

Chester, Darren J. Conaghan, Patrick J. Coulton, Mark M. (Teller)

Gillespie, David A. Goodenough, Ian R.

Hamilton, G. R. Hawke, Alexander G. Hogan, Kevin J. 

Howarth, Luke R.

Joyce, Barnaby T. G.

Landry, Michelle L. Littleproud, David

McCormack, Michael F.

O'Brien, Llewellyn S.

Pasin, Anthony Pike, Henry J. Pitt, Keith J.

Wallace, Andrew B. Webster, A. E. Willcox, Andrew J. 

Wilson, Richard. J. and

Young, Terry J.

A majority of these dissenters took it upon themselves to organise and conduct a “No” campaign against the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament once the referendum question had been approved by a majority in the House of Representatives.

Advance Aus Ltd formerly Freedom Aus Limited, Advance formerly known as Advance Australia & Fair Australia (both associated with Advance Aus Ltd), Recognise a Better Way, Whitestone Strategic Pty Ltd, Texas-based RJ Dunham & Co, Matthew Sheahan, Vicki Dunne, Laura Bradley, Simon Fenwick, Marcus Blackmore and former Liberal MP Tony Abbott are among the companies & persons which assist the dissenters in their apparent aim to sow doubt and division ahead of the referendum.  [AFR, 10.04.23 & The Guardian, 13.07.23].

In this they appear to have had some measure of success.

According to custom, the parliamentary dissenters have also produced the official “No” campaign pamphlet titled “The case for voting No” which can be read in full and downloaded at:

https://www.aec.gov.au/referendums/files/pamphlet/the-case-for-voting-no.pdf

The first page summary text is as follows:

“REASONS TO VOTE NO – A SUMMARY

This Referendum is not simply about “recognition”. This Voice proposal goes much further.

If passed, it would represent the biggest change to our Constitution in our history.

It is legally risky, with unknown consequences. It would be divisive and permanent.

If you don’t know, vote no.

RISKY

We all want to help Indigenous Australians in disadvantaged communities. However, this Voice is not the answer and presents a real risk to our system of government.

This Voice specifically covers all areas of “Executive Government”. This means no issue is beyond its reach.

The High Court would ultimately determine its powers, not the Parliament.

It risks legal challenges, delays and dysfunctional government.

UNKNOWN

No details have been provided on how members of the Voice would be chosen or how it would operate. Australians are being asked to vote first before these details are worked out.

Australians should have details before the vote, not after.

We don’t know how it will work, we don’t know who will be on it, but we do know it will permanently divide us as Australians.

Some Voice supporters say this would just be a first step to reparations and compensation and other radical changes. So, what would come next?

DIVISIVE

Enshrining a Voice in the Constitution for only one group of Australians means permanently dividing our country.

It creates different classes of citizenship through an unknown body that has the full force of the Constitution behind it. Many Indigenous Australians do not support this.

PERMANENT

Putting a Voice in the Constitution means it’s permanent. We will be stuck with negative consequences

The content of this argument (which can be viewed at aec.gov.au/referendums/pamphlet.htm) was authorised by a majority of those members of Parliament who voted against the proposed law and desired to forward such a case. This text has been published without amendment by the Electoral Commissioner“

******

The official “Yes” campaign pamphlet from the majority of the parliamentary assenters titled “The case for voting Yes” can be read in full and downloaded at:

https://www.aec.gov.au/referendums/files/pamphlet/the-case-for-voting-yes.pdf?v=1.0

This affirmative campaign is assisted by YES23.

Examples of how the two very different pamphlets are being initially received in mainstream & social media:

Greg Craven furious no campaign used his previous voice concerns in pamphlet https://t.co/m1SHzOv11Q

— grace pettigrew (@broomstick33) July 18, 2023

 

Uluru Dialogue's Megan Davis and Pat Anderson, architects of the Voice, call the No referendum essay "cooked" and a "destructive agenda"

"The NO pamphlet has used taxpayers’ money to distribute misleading information aimed at holding our people back, all Australians in fact." pic.twitter.com/ByEC2JjWci

— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) July 18, 2023

 

"The No Campaign have clearly taken advantage of the pamphlet not being fact-checked and done more to embolden racists than they have to argue against the Voice."https://t.co/ZS7FATECqz

— National Indigenous Times (@nit_times) July 18, 2023

 

The Yes pamphlet says the "idea" for the voice, came from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.....no it didn't AT ALL.....it came from the U.N, and has been in the works for years...."Project UNDRIP"....they lie and lie through their teeth...it's NOT grassroots.

— R1nky d1nk (@RD1nk33775) July 18, 2023

CONCERNING POLLED RESPONSES IN JULY 2023 TO THE PROPOSED NATIONAL REFERENDUM QUESTION

Latest Newspoll conducted on 12-15 July 2023 shows 48 per cent of the 1,570 surveyed voters say they now intend to vote no to the proposal to insert an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Voice into the Australian Constitution.

Among surveyed voters from regional areas 62 per cent opposed the Voice proposal.

The survey breaks down by gender to 47 per cent of all males surveyed and 49 per cent of all females surveyed now oppose the Voice.

By age it appears that 59 per cent of those younger voters surveyed were in favour of inserting an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Voice into the Australian Constitution, while 46 per cent of all older voters surveyed were in favour of the Voice.

NOTE: The 15 July 2023 Newspoll as reported does not breakdown responses by state and, as a referendum affirmative requires a majority of the voting age population in a majority of states, it is possible that at this time there is still a majority in favour of the Voices in four of the seven states & territories.

And this week brought another Newspoll.....

 

On Saturday 15 July 2023 there was a federal by-election in the Queensland electorate of Fadden – a safe seat for the Coalition having been held at 16 out of the 17 federal elections since the electorate was created in 1977.

The by-election was caused by incumbent Stuart Robert, a former minister in the Morrison Government resigning in anticipation of being named in the Report of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme.

As predicted the LNP candidate, Gold Coast City councillor Cameron Caldwell, won on the day with 49.06% of the first preference vote and 63.26% of the two-candidate preferred vote as at AEC recorded ballot count on 17 July.

Coincidentally, 14-15 July 2023 were the dates on which Newspoll conducted one of its national surveys of voter intentions.

This particular survey clearly indicated that if a general election had been held last Saturday, then MP for Dickson & Leader of the Liberal Party Peter Dutton & his Coalition cronies would remain on the Opposition benches.

IMAGES: The Australian, 17 July 2023

Click on graphs to enlarge

Here are the percentages revealed in this month’s survey.

Primary Vote

Labor – 36 (+2)

Coalition – 34 (-1.7)

Greens – 12 (+1)

One Nation – 7 (+1)

Others – 11 (+1)

Two-Party Preferred

Labor – 55 (+1)

Coalition – 45 (-1)

Performance Approval Rating

ALBANESE:

Satisfied – 52 (unchanged)

Dissatisfied – 41 (-1)

DUTTON:

Satisfied – 36 (-2)

Dissatisfied – 49 (unchanged)

BY 15 JULY 2023 LABOR'S SURVEY POSITION IN COMPARISON WITH ITS POSITION ON DAY OF 2022 FEDERAL ELECTION WAS:

Primary Vote: 3.4% higher

Two Party Preferred: 1.9% higher

Better Prime Minister:

Albanese 54% - no change

BY 15 JULY 2023 COALITION'S SURVEY POSITION IN COMPARISON WITH ITS POSITION ON DAY OF 2022 FEDERAL ELECTION WAS:

Primary Vote: 1.7% lower

Two-Party Preferred: 2.9% lower

Better Prime Minister:

Dutton 29% - 1% higher.