Media release regarding DHA Lee Point housing project

Written on 07 May 2024.

The community leaders, organisations and people below call for the resignation of the Board and senior officials of Defence Housing Australia (DHA). We also call for a transparent investigation by Work Safe NT, and the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy and Water into repeated and ongoing breaches of relevant site safety legislation and Federal Land clearing regulations.

The site was in breach of the Federal EPBC land clearing regulations and NT WorkSafe requirements in relation to site signage and fencing, and facilities. We asked for these contact details to enable contact with the site manager on multiple occasions and NT Worksafe was contacted numerous times. There were repeated attempts made to contact the site manager but no one at the site could/would advise who the site manager was or how they could be contacted directly. As a result, the breaches were ongoing, and DHA must be held responsible.

It is unacceptable for an organisation such as DHA to firstly make these mistakes and secondly not to move to correct them. At a minimum the following breaches need to be investigated:

• The site was not fenced to standard, or not fenced at all and bulldozing work was carried out in an unsafe manner.
• There was no sign advising of the site manager contact details.
• There were either no or completely inadequate fauna spotters deployed for land clearing on federal land that is known to contain federally listed endangered species.
• The fauna spotters that did visit the site on the third day were inadequately equipped and had no radio contact with dozers and were not following the dozers most of the time.
• Inability to provide an authorisation Permit to Interfere with Protected Wildlife under Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission that is needed to relocate animals into an NT Reserve.
• No available pre-clear inspection and report.
• No appropriate actions in relation to Cycas armstrongii a CITES listed plant species
• Inadequate or no heritage monitors and Larrakia people were given no opportunity to remove any artefacts from stage 3.

Charges may need to be laid in relation to some these breaches. There were multiple reports of these breaches, and it is not satisfactory for an organisation by DHA to firstly make these mistakes and secondly to not move to correct them.

Spokesperson Contact Graeme Sawyer (A further brief of information is available from Graeme)

Ph 0411881378

BiodiversityWatch, former Darwin Lord Mayor, Master of Environmental Management

Ian Redmond – Friends of Lee Point Inc 0427796470

Lorraine Williams – Larrakia elder This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Nicholas Kirlew - PLan Inc (Planning Action network ) 0447499794

Sunday 5^th May 2024