Government declines to protect Indigenous sacred site to be bulldozed for Brisbane Olympic stadium

The federal government has decided against an 11th-hour intervention to halt construction of an Olympic stadium and aquatic centre in the heart of Brisbane, in a park that traditional owners say is a First Nations sacred site . The environment minister, Murray Watt, issued a statement on Sunday afternoon to say he had considered applications made under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act for him to stop construction in Victoria Park. The application said a “significant Aboriginal area was under serious and imminent threat of injury or desecration”. Watt said he had decided against making that emergency declaration, but he had appointed a reporter to review further applications and to “determine if longer term protections are required”. “Today’s decisions follow consultation with interested parties, and I acknowledge the importance of the area to the Turrbal and Yagara Peoples,” Watt said. As the statement was issued, hundreds of protesters were gathered in Victoria Park on the final day before the 64-hectare site was transferred from trust land held by Brisbane city council to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA). GIICA is responsible for building the 63,000-seat stadium, which will afterwards be used for Australian rules football and cricket. …