Jeff Briscoe lodges an appeal to the decision to remove the statue of William Crowther
The statue of William Crowther was set to come down after a decision two weeks ago. Now, the decision has been challenged. What happens next?
Tasmania
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Supporters of the statue of William Crowther are making a last ditch bid to keep the monument standing in Franklin Square, this week challenging the decision to have it removed.
There have long been calls to take the statue down because Crowther is known for mutilating the remains of Aboriginal man, William Lanne, stealing his skull and sending it to the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
It was cleared to be removed after the Hobart City Council last year voted for it to be taken down, the Heritage Council gave its tick of approval last month, and more recently the Hobart City planning committee also it the green light.
Wednesday marked 14 days since the final decision, which was the deadline for parties to lodge an appeal.
On Monday former Hobart City alderman Jeff Briscoe lodged an appeal with the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal challenging the decision.
Mr Briscoe’s is the main appellant, while community members and supporters of the statue, Chris Merridew and Anne Burleigh have joined as party to the appeal.
In his notice of appeal, Mr Briscoe argued the council’s decision was not compliant with the planning scheme because he believed it would lead to significant loss to Franklin Square and Tasmania’s cultural heritage.
He also believed the separating the bronze part of the statue from the plinth would destroy the “integrity” of the statue.
He also described the proposed signage, approved to accompany the empty plinth, was “overpowering, dominant, distracting and highly unsuitable”.
“The removal of the statue and installation of signage is intolerably detrimental to the recognisable historic character and authenticity of Franklin Square,” Mr Briscoe said in the notice
“The statue has been a continuous presence for 134 years and its heritage value must be conserved.”
The next step of the process is for a directions hearing to be held, which is expected to be in mid-September.
Parties usually have 90 days to finalise their appeals and at the directions hearing, parties will discuss how long they might need to prepare their evidence for a hearing.
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre campaign manager Nala Mansell said it was disappointing an appeal had been filed.
“It’s not surprising there are people in the community who will never support anything that the Aboriginal community is involved in,” Ms Mansell said.
“Jeff Briscoe voted against the removal of the statue when he was a member of Hobart City Council.
“It’s disappointing to know how much time and money will be wasted by people who refuse to right the wrongs of the past.
“Jeff Briscoe should move on and not attempt to slow down the process any further.”
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