TMR served tribal eviction notice over Gympie Pyramid site

Claims of ‘genocide’ are being hurled at the state roads department working on the Gympie bypass as dozens of protesters rally to save site they claim is sacred.

Protesters have served the state’s transport department with a “tribal eviction” notice and accused its officials of acting like a “pack of thugs” as the fight over the fate of the “Gympie Pyramid” continues.

Diane Djaki Widjung served the notice at TMR’s Gympie branch as more than 60 supporters gathered outside calling for protection of the Rocky Ridge site, which they call “Djaki Kundu”.

The land has been at the centre of a years-long dispute which came to a head last Friday when dozens of police evicted protesters from the site.

Six people were charged for offences including trespassing.

TMR and police moved in following a refusal by Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley to declare the land of “significant cultural heritage” under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.

The gathering outside Gympie’s TMR office occurred at the same time as a similar protest at Brisbane’s TMR branch.

A request for an emergency declaration over the site was rejected by Ms Ley in May.

Two new applications under the ACT have since been lodged.

Speaking outside Gympie’s TMR building, Diane Djaki Widjung said the fight to protect the land from being destroyed by work on the $1 billion Gympie Bypass would be taken as far as possible.

“It’s an act of human rights abuse and people claim you have to kill people physically for genocide, (but) this is an act of genocide, it’s destroying the spiritual hub of tribes from all over this continent all over and all over the world,” she said.

She accused TMR of behaving like “a pack of thugs that think they can ignore Australian and international law”.

“They may laugh at this notice but it’s just the beginning if they don’t obey it.”

Protesters were evicted from the land by TMR following a ruling from the Federal Environment Department refusing to declare the land of significant culture heritage.

A TMR spokesman said the department had taken steps on a number of occasions “to try to reach a peaceful solution with those camping illegally on site” and said claims the site would be destroyed were “false”.

“This included offers of mediation and intervention by QPS negotiators before the eviction of the trespassers,” he said.

“The claims the project will destroy the Rocky Ridge site are false.

A TMR spokesman said claims the site would be destroyed are false, as a significant portion of the area is being avoided by work on the bypass.

“Even though there has been no evidence found by our investigations and by the Federal Environment Minister’s independent First Nations specialist that the site is a significant Aboriginal area, we considered the community interest and the majority of Rocky Ridge will be preserved during works.

“The Rocky Ridge preservation area has been fenced off for protection and will remain so for the duration of works.”

The spokesman said TMR was aware of the new applications under the ATSIHP Act.

These included a new area along with the section previously assessed by Ms Ley’s office.

“However, we have not yet been provided with copies of the new applications, or any other information about the location and or size of the new area,” he said

TMR was served a tribal eviction notice as part of protester’s ongoing fight to protect the land.

Nicola Tareha, who was among the throng of peaceful protesters, said people had to consider what it would feel like “if it was their museum or their church … that was being mowed down by a road”.

“That’s a way of understanding how the Kabi Kabi people feel about their site being broken into,” she said.

“If people can identify with that then we can have some understanding.”

Following the delivery of the notice to TMR shortly after 9am, Ms Djaki Widjung said the department had promised to pass the notice further up the chain, but denied her entry to the building.

She implored people fighting to save the site to keep their efforts peaceful.

“We don’t want anyone to get arrested on our behalf,” she said.

“We’re a peaceful people.”

A separate notice was handed to Brisbane’s TMR branch at the same time.

A number of drivers heading towards the Bruce Highway honked in support of the Gympie gathering.