Dominic Perrottet vows Goat Island will be returned to ‘right’ Indigenous people

The NSW government has pledged to ensure ownership of Sydney Harbour’s historic Goat Island is returned to Aboriginal people with cultural connections to the area.

Ash Walker and his father Lloyd Walker with Beverly Simon (left) Michael Ingrey and daughter Nessa Foster and David Johnson (right) at Simmons Point Reserve in Balmain East with Goat Island behind them. Picture: John Feder

The NSW government has pledged to ensure ownership of Sydney Harbour’s historic Goat Island is returned to Aboriginal people with cultural connections to the area, following claims the ­island was set to be handed to the “wrong” Indigenous people.

The commitment comes after descendants of Sydney’s original Indigenous inhabitants expressed alarm that Goat Island, or Me-Mel, will be awarded to the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, many of whose members come from western NSW and have no cultural connection to the area.

In May, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced a $43m investment to support the return of Me-Mel – once home to Aboriginal leader Bennelong and often described as the jewel in the crown of Sydney Harbour – to the Indigenous community.

The government set up a Transfer Committee dominated by the MLALC to decide ownership of the island, but it would be culturally offensive for Me-Mel to be awarded to the MLALC “because it is controlled by foreigners”, according to Ash Walker, a member of the La Perouse Aboriginal community.

Many Indigenous residents of La Perouse, including Mr Walker, trace their ancestry back to 31 original inhabitants of Sydney identified in a NSW government-led investigation that focused on the traditional owners of Kamay Botany Bay National Park, just 15km away from Goat Island.

It identified a draft cultural area running along the coast from north of Sydney Harbour to the Shoalhaven, whose original Aboriginal inhabitants included Cora Gooseberry, wife of King Bungaree and known in colonial times as the “Queen of Sydney Harbour”.

The NSW government said it would consider expanding the number of community representatives on the Transfer Committee to ensure proper representation for descendants of Sydney’s ­original inhabitants.

“The NSW government’s intention is to return the title of Me-Mel to Aboriginal people with a cultural connection to the island,” a spokesperson said.

Mr Walker said the statement of intention was “heartening” and hoped the first step would be identifying the traditional owners of Sydney Harbour. “We welcome the government’s leadership on this issue and thank them for clearly stating their intention to hand back Me-Mel to traditional owners,” he said. “My community looks forward to participating in the subsequent process which identifies Aboriginal people with an authentic cultural connection to Sydney Harbour.”

The MLALC disputes the La Perouse community’s claims of traditional ownership and says title to the island would be governed by a principles-of-transfer that would establish a trust model on behalf of all Aboriginal people.

In the late 1800s, the government shut down all Indigenous camps around Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay and moved the inhabitants to La Perouse, then outside the colony. However, Me-Mel falls within the boundary of the Metro land council, not the La Perouse land council.

“It makes a huge difference because it means we are losing the right to speak for our country,” Mr Walker said.

“In addition, any economic benefit that comes from this island will flow to the owners of it, and so won’t flow to the people who come from coastal Sydney; it won’t flow to our families.