WOLLONGONG — On August 22 it was announced that Sandon Point was named in the Australian Council of National Trusts' Endangered Places List 2002. ACNT chairperson Simon Molesworth said “the key threats to these 23 places listed continue to be dollar-driven development and government inertia”.

At a rally on August 24, 800 people voted unanimously to continue the struggle to preserve Sandon Point despite the continued destruction by Stockland Corporation. Construction has begun on stages 1-6 of the proposed 20-stage (700-house) development which is destroying an Indigenous ceremonial grave site and the habitat of rare and endangered flora and fauna.

Within Sandon Point an area of land previously owned by Sydney Water has been sold to the Stockland Corporation. Prior to the sale, this land had been openly sought by the local community as public open space.

The rally called on the NSW government to carry out a public inquiry to investigate why this land was sold for $2.1 million without community consultation and why part of it is being bought back by Wollongong City Council for $1.4 million.

The rally called for the establishment of an Illawarra regional park. It also condemned the state government for having inadequate legislation for the protection of Aboriginal heritage sites.

Stockland Residential estates manager Nick Duncan claimed in the August 26 Illawarra Mercury that the Sandon Point web site suggests people take the “fight” to his home.

Web designer Colin Salter denied this and said comments by Duncan regarding “the violence that occurs at the protests” were misleading. “The only violence that has occurred during demonstrations at Sandon Point have been undertaken by persons in the employ, either directly or indirectly, of Stockland Trust Group.” This includes the fire-bombing of the community picket on two occasions.

Billboards around Sydney have sprung up advertising the Sandon Point beachfront residential development with the slogan “Discover the Point in Life”. Activist Hamish Brown asked “What about some glossy magazine photos of burning pickets, battered residents, and bulldozed landscapes?”

For more information on the campaign check out <http://www.sandon-point.org.au> or phone Cate Wilson on (02) 4229 0649.

From Green Left Weekly, September 4, 2002.
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