ATSIHP Protection Application (s10)

JOINT PRESS RELEASE: FEDERAL APPLICATION LODGED FOR PERMANENT LEGAL PROTECTION OF BRISBANE’S VICTORIA PARK BARRAMBIN

Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation 
Save Victoria Park Inc.

Tuesday 05 August 2025

The Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC) has today lodged an application with the Federal Government for permanent legal protection of Brisbane’s Victoria Park / Barrambin.

Advocacy group Save Victoria Park stands shoulder to shoulder with YMAC in its resolve to safeguard the park - one of the city’s most important First Nations sites - against major Olympic stadium development.

The application has been made under Section 10 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act, which allows the Commonwealth to declare long-term protection of a significant Aboriginal area under threat of injury or desecration.

“For we Goori people, Barrambin is living Country, possessing sacred, ancient and significant relationships within our cultural heritage systems,” said YMAC spokesperson and Yagarabul elder Gaja Kerry Charlton.

“We know this is a place of great significance and history, not only for Yagara people, but for other First Nations and non-Aboriginal people as well.

“It was a complete shock when the Premier came out with his stadium plans. He said the park would be protected from stadiums; I thought the park was safe. Now the government wants to destroy it. We are very concerned there are ancient trees, artefacts and very important eco-systems existing there. There may be ancestral remains.

“We stand resolute in our responsibility to protect it.”

Victoria Park / Barrambin holds thousands of years of stories in its hills and gullies. It is a place where Aboriginal communities lived and thrived, where visitors gathered from all directions to mark seasonal festivals, marriages, funerals, Bora and trade. This continued in diverse ways long after European arrival.

Up until recently, the 60-hectare park had been the subject of a detailed Brisbane City Council Master Plan. As part of this, local elders participated in a four-year consultation process which honoured the rich Aboriginal heritage of the site.

The result of this inclusive process was a shared ambition to deliver a world-class, uniquely Brisbane parkland with reinvigorated waterholes, vastly increased tree canopy to support urban cooling and wildlife, and innovative spaces for visitors to explore and connect with local Indigenous culture.

Despite pre-election assurances the park would be spared from stadium development, the Crisafulli Government announced in March its intention to convert the site from a free and accessible green sanctuary into a spectator sporting precinct hosting a 63,000-seat oval stadium, 25,000-seat National Aquatic Centre, Olympic warm-up track, and associated infrastructure.

It was a decision that sidelined widespread community aspirations for the parkland and excluded elders integral to the development of the Master Plan.

Since then, the government has taken unprecedented steps to pursue its redevelopment agenda, by overriding acts of parliament intended to safeguard the environment, and curtailing rights under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act that would allow First Nations people to ensure the protection of cultural heritage on Olympic-related construction sites.

“What type of signal does this send to the world, that we are willing to bulldoze our parkland, our rights, for a Games that was supposed to be sustainable?” said Save Victoria Park spokesperson Sue Bremner.

“Current proposals to raze and develop this park are wholly incompatible with previous promises of preservation. We estimate the majority of the parkland and hundreds of mature trees will now be sacrificed.

“And as we face this profound and irreversible loss of cultural heritage and human rights, Olympic organisers continue to promote 2032 as being the first Games with a Reconciliation Action Plan. It is simply astounding.”

For the representatives of YMAC, seeking federal legal protection of Victoria Park / Barrambin forms part of an ongoing commitment to caring for Culture and Country, by "holding onto and handing down” a positive environmental legacy for future generations.

“Once Victoria Park is gone, it’s gone forever,” said Yagara elder Uncle Steven. “Will photos be our only memory? Are we going to have to say to our children, our grandchildren: ‘this is what your grandparents experienced, but it’s not here for you anymore?’

“We have so little left of our history, our culture, our social life that we cling to it. And we want to share that with non-Aboriginal people as well.”

ENDS

ABOUT THE YAGARA MAGANDJIN ABORIGINAL CORPORATION (YMAC)

“Language is culture, culture is language.” The Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation is dedicated to the preservation of Yagara language, culture and history. Walking in the footsteps of their ancestors, the group is committed to caring for Culture and Country, by “holding onto and handing down”, sharing with others and leaving a positive legacy for generations to come.

ABOUT SAVE VICTORIA PARK

Save Victoria Park Inc. is a community-driven advocacy group dedicated to protecting Victoria Park, an area also known as Barrambin or Walan, in Brisbane. We advocate for preserving this vital green space as a sanctuary for recreation, wildlife, and cultural heritage, ensuring it remains accessible for future generations. Through community engagement, peaceful protests, and fundraising efforts, we strive to amplify the voices of Australians who value parks over concrete developments.  

Meet Gaja Kerry Charlton & YMAC