Reprieve in Victoria’s sacred Indigenous tree fight

A court has ruled on plans to remove sacred Indigenous trees along a stretch of Victorian highway after legal action from the traditional owners.

A sacred directions tree that was felled in Victoria sparked outrage, with traditional owners winning a reprieve to stop controversial highway works near the site.

Works along a stretch of a Victorian highway have been stopped to protect trees sacred to Indigenous people after a court ruling.

Traditional owners launched legal action to prevent any further works from taking place at the site of the Western Highway duplication between Ararat and Buangor after a culturally significant “directions” tree was felled in October.

In a victory for Djab Wurrung woman Marjorie Thorpe, mother of senator Lidia Thorpe, the roadworks have been put on hold until February ahead of a trial.

So while the Andrews government was announcing the opening up of Melbs, it was concurrently cutting down a sacred part of Djap Wurrung heritage #shame

This was the beautiful Directions Tree. pic.twitter.com/Osv4pMZbhs

— Celeste Liddle (@Utopiana) October 26, 2020

“I am satisfied that there is evidence of physical features of cultural heritage importance within the landscape of the specified area more broadly than the six identified trees and the focus areas,” Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Jacinta Forbes wrote in her decision on Thursday.

Six trees and the surrounding area were considered under threat by the roadworks.

It's not a good day when your government allows the Directions Tree to be destroyed on your watch #Djabwurrung ##DjabwurrungTrees pic.twitter.com/hhBzBIy1kM

— PassTheMSG (@kiIIyridoIs) October 26, 2020

An interlocutory injunction was originally granted in October, halting the works for up to three weeks, but the latest decision extends it to more than two months.

Lawyers for the government argued an Aboriginal cultural heritage plan had been agreed to and relied on for the past seven years.

The lawyers will return to court in the coming days to agree what activities will be covered by the latest court order.