The federal government has decided that an Olympic stadium is more important than a sacred Indigenous site, because nothing says "legacy" like bulldozing a place of spiritual significance for a sporting event that lasts two weeks.
Environment Minister Murray Watt announced on Sunday that he would not halt construction at Victoria Park in Brisbane, despite applications under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act warning of "serious and imminent threat of injury or desecration." Watt did, however, appoint a reporter to look into longer-term protections, which is a bit like calling a plumber after your house has already burned down.
As Watt issued his statement, hundreds of protesters gathered for one last stand before the 64-hectare site transfers from Brisbane city council to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA), which will build a 63,000-seat stadium for future Aussie rules and cricket matches.
Sue Bremner, president of Save Victoria Park, predicted fences would be up by Monday morning and recalled Friday's arrest of five people from the Goori Camp Embassy. "The world was appalled by what they saw," she told the crowd.
Nurri Theresa Williams, who lodged the protection applications, called the park "the last sacred site of the gathering of our people in the entire Brisbane area." She noted it contains birthing and burial sites her family has used for hundreds of years. At 80-something, she's presumably not looking for a stadium seat.
Greens councillor Seal Chong Wah described police actions as "evil." Former Liberal National premier Campbell Newman - who is not exactly known for hugging trees - said he was "100% behind the Aunties" and compared the fight to the 1970s battle against the demolition of Brisbane's heritage buildings. He even held a sign reading "I preferred Joh!" in reference to Joh Bjelke-Petersen, a premier famous for bulldozing heritage. Yes, that's the level of irony we're dealing with.
The state government and city council issued a joint statement promising Victoria Park will become a "world-class destination" with "revitalised parkland." They also said the protest camp is a safety issue and protesters have had "ample opportunity to leave."
Police presence was light on Sunday, with a spokesperson saying there were no immediate plans to evict protesters. But given the track record, we wouldn't hold our breath.