Jerrinja LALC is not against development per se. Our people face higher housing disadvantage than any other group and we know what a real housing crisis looks like.
That said, we also know that housing supply, especially in this day and age, must not come at the expense of our fragile coastal ecosystems. Zombie Development Applications and other inappropriate developments threaten not just the character of coastal towns and villages but the surrounding natural environment. And above all else we can and must do better than to threaten the cultural landscape.
As a Local Aboriginal Land Council we have a legislated mandate for the protection and promotion of Cultural Heritage within our boundary. This means that where inappropriate developments threaten Jerrinja Cultural Heritage it is not only our cultural obligation, but our positive duty, to take action.
The current NSW Planning system is deeply flawed. We are the only jurisdiction in the country without standalone Aboriginal cultural heritage legislation. With this as a backdrop, our response to developments that pose the most severe threats to Jerrinja cultural heritage require concentrated campaigns. If the system gave the primacy to cultural heritage that it deserves, this would not be necessary.
Current campaigns:
