‘We will stand up and fight’
Headland Preservation Group (HPG) will host a community rally in Mosman on 11 October in a bid to save HMAS Penguin from being partially sold.
The sale is part of a Federal Government defence land sell-off to raise $1.8 billion.
HPG president Jill L’Estrange said it was concerned about several vulnerable species of flora and fauna living in the Angophora forest on over half of the 11-hectare site.
“The site is a critical link in the harbour-wide habitat corridor, and if that land is developed, it would permanently break that network,” Ms L’Estrange told NL.
She also highlighted the importance of the surrounding waters and Sydney Institute of Marine Science studies of seahorses and seagrasses which could be affected by private development.
“The community has stood up twice before (to protect Defence lands): in 1988 when HMAS Penguin was to be sold, and again in 1996, when Defence land at George’s Heights and Middle Head was to be turned into housing,” Ms L’Estrange said. “We stood up and fought for those lands, and we will stand up and fight again.”
Mosman Council has endorsed the rally and Mayor Ann Marie Kimber will attend with fellow councillors.
“Our council has consistently advocated to the Federal Government on this issue, and we’ve also appealed to the State Government to support us,” Mayor Kimber told NL. “This place has exceptional heritage, environmental, cultural and community significance to Mosman, Sydney Harbour and the nation. Once sold, and potentially developed, we can never get this precious headland back.”
Warringah MP Zali Steggall has attempted to get site-specific information relating to the site through Freedom of Information requests, including PFAS contamination cost analysis and whether public access to the foreshore would remain.
Two documents identified by Defence were not released. Ms Steggall said in a media statement that ‘the level of secrecy was extraordinary.’ “This is a crucial public asset, and Australians deserve to know what risks and obligations come with any proposal to divest it.”
KPMG has since been engaged by the government to assist with assessments. Ms Steggall said the government should not move a nationally significant Defence site between agencies without proper public scrutiny. “Defence has the expertise to maintain these buildings. Moving them into a property disposal portfolio risks them becoming neglected and abandoned.”
The rally is 11am to 12.30pm on 11 October at the Balmoral Rotunda. See hpg.org.au for details.