Closure of Mt Warning
Dear Director of National Parks,
Can you please identify all members of the Wollumbin Consultative Group who were responsible for the extended closure of Mt Warning? I am a senior Ngarkawal custodian of that site with connection and traditional ownership of that land. My Grandmother is Mrs Millie Boyd who is well documented as knowing more about this mountain than any other woman in this lifetime, just have to Google or Youtube her name and you will see that this is fact.
My current appointment as senior lore woman for the Ngarkawal people was only enacted in November 2022 when I first became aware that our women had been locked out of access to their sacred sites. I can't even visit my Mother's Memorial Plaque because it's behind the gate!
It's not just a men's place according to my family's oral history, one side of that mountain is mens, the other side of the mountain is the womens.
The closure needs to be rectified and the mountain re-opened to climbers, I need the names of the Aboriginal people responsible for 'remarketization of this site' asap.
Yours faithfully,
Elizabeth Davis Boyd
Dear Elizabeth Davis Boyd
We refer to your correspondence below of 23 January 2023, to the Director
of National Parks, seeking:
‘Can you please identify all members of the Wollumbin Consultative Group
who were responsible for extending the closure of Mt Warning after Covid.
I am the personal assistant of Ms Elizabeth Davis Boyd the Ngarkawal
women's senior custodian of that mountain and since one side of the
mountain is women's business and one side of the mountain is men's
business, I need to confirm which Aboriginal people where involved tin
that decision.
My appointment was only recently actioned and re-instating public access
to Mt Warning, repairing approx $1.5M worth of damage from closing and
neglecting the area, we would like to spiritually remediate the site so
that our people can come and connect to this very special mountain.’
Please be advised that we do not consider your email to be a valid request
under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act).
This is due to the right of access under the FOI Act to documents, rather
than to information. In your request, you have not specified documents.
If you would like to submit a new FOI request, you may do so by email at
[1][email address] or by completing the online request form
[2]https://www.dcceew.gov.au/about/reportin....
Kind regards
FOI Contact Officer
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Ngunnawal Country, John Gorton Building, King Edward Terrace
(GPO Box 3090) Parkes ACT 2600 Australia
T 02 6274 2098 | E [3][email address]
[ ]
DCCEEW.gov.au ABN 63 573 932 849
Acknowledgement of Country
Our department recognises the First Peoples of this nation and their
ongoing connection to culture and country. We acknowledge First Nations
Peoples as the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Lore Keepers of the
world's oldest living culture and pay respects to their Elders past,
present and emerging.
This email and any attachments may contain information subject to legal
professional privilege or information that is otherwise sensitive or
confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are
prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have
received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately
and permanently delete this email.
Dear FOI Contact Officer,
I am still waiting for a response to my FOI regarding the closure of Mt Warning/Wollumbin Mountain. NPWS have indicated that my concerns would be considered at the WCG February 2023 meeting and that I may present the yet unheard case of the women of the Ngarakbul tribe and we need your response to prepare for that meeting asap.
Yours sincerely,
Elizabeth Davis Boyd
Dear Elizabeth Davis Boyd
Thank you for your email.
In your email dated 24 February 2023 you sought an internal review of the
decision to treat your FOI request as invalid. The department notes that
sections 54 and 54A of the Freedom of Information Act 1982 do not allow
for an internal review of an invalid request.
You have also made several FOI requests to the Department of Climate
Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the Department) and the
Commonwealth Director of National Parks this year attempting to obtain
information about the membership and identities of the Wollumbin
Consultative Group.
The Department notes that Wollumbin National Park is a State of NSW
national park that is managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife
Service. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is part of the
Environment and Heritage Group that sits within the NSW Department of
Planning and Environment.
The Department and the Commonwealth Director of National Parks do not hold
information about the membership and identities of the Wollumbin
Consultative Group. The Commonwealth Director of National Parks does not
have any role in managing State of NSW national parks.
Noting that the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the NSW
Department of Planning and Environment administer Wollumbin National Park
and have policy responsibility for engagement with Wollumbin Consultative
Group, you are best placed to request the membership and identities of the
Wollumbin Consultative Group from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife
Service and the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
For information about how to access information from the NSW National
Parks and Wildlife Service and the NSW Department of Planning and
Environment please see the following web page:
[1]https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/about....
Kind regards
FOI Contact Officer
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Ngunnawal Country, John Gorton Building, King Edward Terrace
(GPO Box 3090) Parkes ACT 2600 Australia
T 02 6274 2098 | E [2][email address]
[ ]
DCCEEW.gov.au ABN 63 573 932 849
Acknowledgement of Country
Our department recognises the First Peoples of this nation and their
ongoing connection to culture and country. We acknowledge First Nations
Peoples as the Traditional Owners, Custodians and Lore Keepers of the
world's oldest living culture and pay respects to their Elders past,
present and emerging.
This email and any attachments may contain information subject to legal
professional privilege or information that is otherwise sensitive or
confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are
prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have
received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately
and permanently delete this email.