There is fresh community outrage on the Sapphire Coast over the controversial Cuttagee Bridge Project.
We can reveal contractors have been on site for the last few days drilling holes up to 40 feet deep looking for bedrock to anchor the new proposed concrete structure to.
This is despite Bega Valley Shire Council not having the go ahead for the project from local indigenous elders with an active Native Title claim for the site unresolved.
We’ve previously reported how local indigenous community leaders had not been adequately consulted about the Review of Environmental Factors for the area containing ancestral remains and artefacts.
Merriman’s Aboriginal Lands Council Chair and Traditional Owner Gary Campbell said under an MOU they must be informed when any work is being planned and undertaken.
“Well you guys just pick up the phone ring us you know we’re part of this native title that’s this is ours,” Mr Campbell said.
“Why don’t you just be a part of it follow up on your memorandum of understanding, follow that up lets keep us all in the loop too as well you know that’s all we want,” he said.
“I can’t understand why they’re doing it. It’s just sad, just sad.
“We’re not back in the old days you know when we wouldn’t have had any phones. Phones are everywhere now. What’s just a drop? Oh we’re gonna do some seismic drilling today can you just come down and be there and be a part of it but it didn’t happen.
“Our legal teams really sort of pissed off on that! They went ahead and done this without confirming it with the land councils.
“We don’t know what they’ve done, what they drilled and what they disturbed and they go away and they do this or do that or we don’t know ’cause they’re not telling us nothing.
“There’s biodiversity what we gotta worry about down there too and you know and our ancestors bones and artefacts.
“We could have been. we could have been a part of that but they’re not letting us in. They’re just gonna go ahead and roll over it anyway.
“No they do not listen to us you know. It’s just our, our things are just falling on deaf ears with them they don’t, they don’t want to listen they don’t, they want, they just want to go ahead and do what they want to do like if nothing’s going to stop them so our solicitors know about it now.”
We have contacted council for a response.
