Government under fire over Riverlea housing development on First Nations mass burial ground

Actor Natasha Wanganeen has accused SA’s government of being “very disrespectful” over a plan to build a housing estate on a mass burial site, singling out Kyam Maher in her fierce rebuke.

Actor Natasha Wanganeen has lashed out at the state government over the burial grounds at Riverlea and the Voice referendum, in a heated discussion on the ABC’s Q+A show on Monday night.

In fiery exchanges, she also slammed her local MP for inviting her to Australia Day and claimed there were “300-plus bodies” in the Indigenous burial grounds that have delayed work on the Riverlea development north of Adelaide.

The show’s panel included Premier Peter Malinauskas, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney, Liberal MP for Sturt James Stevens, Uluru Dialogue leader and artist Sally Scales, and actor Natasha Wanganeen.

With the country set to go to the polls on October 14, the guests outlined their stances on the Voice referendum.

Once the panel discussion began, Ms Wanganeen quickly stated that she would be voting against the Voice, saying she did not believe it would represent her “grassroot community”.

“You guys haven’t been out there to speak to us,” Ms Wanganeen said before directing the following comments to Mr Stevens.

“And you, you keep sending me emails inviting me to Australia Day.

“Honestly, nationally, can you stop. It’s disrespectful to somebody like me who stands for Aboriginal rights everyday of my life.

“So please, stop doing that.”

Actress Natasha Wanganeen. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier.

Ms Wanganeen then raised her concerns over the housing development at Riverlea. The plan intends to build 12,000 homes for 40,000 residents over a 15-year plan.

However, the remains of at least 31 individuals have been uncovered in two separate areas of an Indigenous burial ground – with one of the sites already being sold to homebuyers and the other set for future sale.

“Also, Linda, you said about celebrating (and) respecting 65,000 years of culture. Well right now, my people are getting dug up at Riverlea and I know you know about this Peter (Malinauskas),” she said.

“How can I be proud of you digging up my people out there? There’s over 300-plus bodies out there and in the last couple of months 31 of my ancestors – and my family is out there in the audience too, that’s their ancestors as well – have been pulled out of the ground.

“That’s disturbing (for) 65,000 years of culture. It’s very disrespectful and I can’t respect a government that won’t respect (that) culture.”

The Q+A panel on Monday night. Picture: Facebook/Q+A

Ms Wanganeen also claimed that she had tried – and failed – to speak with state Aboriginal Affairs Minister and Attorney-General Kyam Maher about the development.

“Why can’t we get a meeting with Kyam Maher about the burial site out there?” Ms Wanganeen asked Mr Malinauskas.

Mr Malinauskas reassured her that Mr Maher had issued a stop order on the project, so the remains could be removed in a “culturally sensitive way”.

A spokesman from Walker Corporation – developers of Riverlea Estate – said Walker’s is working closely with Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC) representatives, KYAC Kurna elders and the state government on the new development.

“Walker continues to work very closely with KYAC representatives, to ensure both the respectful treatment of ancestral remains and the most appropriate outcome is implemented, as recommended by the Kaurna elders within KYAC,” the spokesman said.

“Walker continues to take advice and direction from the KYAC Kaurna elders and the SA Government as we work through the issues at hand.

“(We) will be in a position to provide further details once the Kaurna Elders and the SA Government have had an appropriate opportunity to discuss and provide a way forward.”

Politically hijacked

Mr Stevens also came under fire over a series of questions around his position on the Voice and Senator Jacinta Price’s comments over the effects of Colonialism on Indigenous peoples.

The Liberal MP said while the “current system was not working”, he believed the Voice would increase those failures.

“I think frankly we’re spending a lot of money, and we should spend as much as we need to, to genuinely address these challenges and the structures that are in place are not working,” he said.

“We need to break them down and reassess how we’re investing in genuinely closing the gap, because at the moment it’s not working.

“And the proposal that’s in place this weekend, its only going to lock in that failure.”

But Ms Wanganeen said “Aboriginal black rights had been hijacked” by the Voice campaign.

“There are two teams like an AFL (grand final), nobody cares what the players’ personal opinions are, they just want to win the game by any means possible,” she said.

But it was Mr Stevens views around colonisation that drew the ire of both the audience and Ms Wanganeen.

Q+A host Patricia Karvelas asked Mr Stevens whether he believed colonisation had ongoing negative impacts in Australia.

Liberal MP for Sturt James Stevens. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

“I think European colonisation has been an overwhelmingly good thing for the great society that we live in,” Mr Stevens said.

“I’m a very proud Australian, I’m proud of our Indigenous culture, I’m proud of the English institution that came to this country with colonisation, I’m proud of the multicultural community that we have.

“I’m very proud of this country and I think Jacinta Price is a great Australian and she’s very entitled to put her views forward.”

Angered by his statement, Ms Wanganeen said his comments were “disgusting language”.

“This is exactly why I’m sitting here because that is disgusting language,” she said.

“I cannot believe you. You are disgusting, bro.

“Any politician that sits there and says stuff like this, their heart is not in the right space.

“Your spirit is wrong, bro, and any politicians that sit here and ask me to be an Australian … I don’t want to be that.”

Originally published as Government under fire over Riverlea housing development on First Nations mass burial ground