K'Gari resort anger

JAY FIELDING

CONTROVERSY enveloped a proposal to build a luxury $250 million resort on K’gari (Fraser Island) almost as soon as the project was unveiled.

Property developer Chiodo’s announcement of the development was accompanied by a series of artist impressions showing the proposed 126 villas nestled into the island’s rainforest.

The buildings feature indoor, hanging, rooftop and vertical gardens, with guests to enjoy immersion in local indigenous culture as well as restaurants and a rooftop bar.

However, the resort being described as a joint venture with the K’gari Educational and Cultural Centre Aboriginal Corporation, has upset K’gari’s traditional owners.

Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation secretary Christine Royan said BAC represented the family groups defined through the Native Title process.

“We don’t support this proposal and there certainly has never been anything written or an attempt to contact us,” Ms Royan said.

The Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation was established after the Butchulla were recognised as the island’s traditional owners in 2014 to manage Native Title rights of family groups.

Ms Royan said she believed Chiodo had attempted to circumvent BAC by engaging with another group.

She said the corporation represented 15 clans and was set up to do things for the benefit of all of them.

“For this developer to go to one family group, it’s actually a disgrace,” she said.

A spokesman for Chiodo said the company would work with traditional owners on a proposal to benefit all groups.

“Once we’ve finalised matters with the government and we get to the stage of developing final designs, we would imagine that we’d be consulting more broadly with the traditional peoples,” he said.

Butchulla elder Norman Barney from the K’gari Educational and Cultural Centre Aboriginal Corporation said he was willing to work with other organisations.

“All I want is to get my people back here, get them jobs, get them to be a part of something that going to be here for years and years to come,” Mr Barney said.

“We’re talking about people on tours, we’re talking about history talks, we’re talking about cultural interactions and being involved in the building of the site,” he said.

“That’s what it’s all about - bringing this mob together and running their own destiny.”

The proposed resort, and the conflict it has already stoked, have made national headlines and attracted thousands of comments on social media, including ones linking the issue to the referendum around the national indigenous Voice proposal.

Environment Minister Megan Scanlon said it would be concerning if traditional owners were not consulted about developments on their land.

A Qld Government spokesperson said a prelodgement meeting with Chiodo was in September last year, but it had not received a development application for a resort on K’gari.

A Fraser Coast Regional Council spokesperson said the council also had not received a development application.