{"id":711802,"date":"2026-06-03T04:13:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T04:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/711802\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T04:13:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T04:13:23","slug":"second-activist-joins-park-lands-court-battle-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/711802\/","title":{"rendered":"Second activist joins park lands court battle – News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kaurna traditional owner Janette Milera will join Edwin Kemp Attrill\u2019s federal court battle against South Australia\u2019s Department of Premier and Cabinet over the controversial North Adelaide golf course development, InDaily\u00a0can reveal today.<\/p>\n

Kemp Attrill \u2013 a public servant \u2013 has raised about $23,500 through a GoFundMe in two days for his legal costs after Attrill revealed his identity and shared that the challenge could send him bankrupt.<\/a><\/p>\n

Milera, a Marion woman and member of the stolen generation, is a Kaurna common law holder \u2013 meaning the Federal Court recognises her as holding native title rights over Kaurna land, according to traditional Aboriginal laws and Kaurna customs.<\/p>\n

Milera is a member of the Pirltawardli Kaurna Collective, a community group concerned about the disturbance of ancestral remains at Possum Park, near par 3 of the existing North Adelaide golf course.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor (Premier) Peter Malinauskas, it\u2019s a new golf course. For me, it\u2019s my family bloodline,\u201d Milera said about the development plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cPirltawardli has a deep connection for me through my Kaurna ancestral bloodline. I have to stand up and do something and join this fight, not just for this park land but for all the park lands which are currently at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the $45 million golf course redevelopment plans were announced in November, <\/a>Malinauskas said Possum Park\u2019s Par 3 would be an exempt, protected area, where no excavation would occur because of its Kaurna significance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a very strict legislative process that dictates the way those [Aboriginal Heritage] applications operate and that was done quite independently of me, as it should be, but effectively there was engagement, and that decision was made clear and easily accommodated,\u201d Malinauskas said.<\/p>\n

Milera is joining Kemp Attrill as an applicant on a federal injunction to test the North Adelaide Golf Course Act introduced by the state government last year against national environment and heritage legislation. Their lawyer has sent a letter to the Department of Premier and Cabinet asking for works to be halted and advising of the action.<\/p>\n

Kemp Attrill said his GoFundMe fundraising would support legal costs, and \u201cif we lose, I don\u2019t want Janette to have to pay a cent\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll pay out of my own pocket before requiring her to pay any costs,\u201d Kemp Attrill said.<\/p>\n

It comes as details surrounding extended road closures and impacts on Victoria Park continue to emerge for the upcoming MotoGP<\/a>, which community groups expect to include tree felling for a new track.<\/p>\n

\"\"Janette Milera and fellow Pirltawardli Kaurna Collective member Otis Carter. Picture: supplied.<\/p>\n

The North Adelaide Golf Course Act passed parliament last year<\/a>, it gave the redevelopment a green light to bypass planning laws, but the state government was still required to consult with the Aboriginal community under the Aboriginal Heritage Act.<\/p>\n

Milera, backed by the Pirltawardli Kaurna Collective, said she was concerned the consultation was not broad enough, and that the legal changes under the act would \u201cfacilitate further dispossession\u201d of Aboriginal people.<\/p>\n

The act changed the site from Crown land into land that was owned by the state government as \u2018fee simple\u2019, a term for private property rights.<\/p>\n

Pirltawardli Kaurna Collective were concerned this land status change was \u201cnot required to accommodate Kaurna cultural authority, access, or connection to Country\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot all of our history is written down, they need to get the stories from the elders and the people who have learnt from the elders. But we know our truth and our history,\u201d Milera said.<\/p>\n

The consultation was open to any interested Aboriginal person or group, as well as Native Title groups. It was criticised by councillors at the time who called it \u201ctokenistic\u201d<\/a>, after which the government extended the consultation to run for more than a month.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Native Title Group the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC) were consulted by the Department of Premier and Cabinet last year, which included developing a cultural heritage management plan to \u201censure heritage is managed respectfully\u201d throughout the golf course works.<\/p>\n

KYAC Chairperson Tim Agius said in a statement last month that the organisation was in \u201ca difficult position\u201d because \u201cthe board\u2019s authority is limited to matters covered under the Aboriginal Heritage Act and it does not have the power to stop developments\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cKaurna cultural heritage monitors will remain involved during works, and the state government has committed to avoiding disturbance to any ancestral remains. Should any remains be uncovered during construction, works are expected to cease immediately to allow for appropriate cultural protocols, protection measures and redesign options to be considered wherever possible,\u201d Agius said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKYAC acknowledges the rights of its members and the public to protest and advocate their views on this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Kaurna Elder and KYAC Chairperson Tim Agius Photo: Helen Karakulak\/InDaily<\/p>\n

Within the Aboriginal community, there are different views on how remains should be handled and preserved if they are found, but the overall sentiment is that ancestral remains should not be disturbed.<\/p>\n

Concerns about the park lands burial grounds affected by golf course landscaping have been raised for decades. A\u00a01998 report<\/a> prepared for the Adelaide City Council by the Kaurna Community Heritage Committee noted that \u201cworks on the banks in this area turn up the bones of Aboriginal graves\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Department of Premier and Cabinet website says the impact of the golf course works was assessed against the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.<\/p>\n

Premier Peter Malinauskas said on Monday morning he believed his government would be on the right side of the legal action \u201cbecause we followed all the due process\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no doubt that there is a desire for martyrdom here, but we\u2019re not going to do that,\u201d Malinauskas told ABC Radio Adelaide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kaurna traditional owner Janette Milera will join Edwin Kemp Attrill\u2019s federal court battle against South Australia\u2019s Department of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":711803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-711802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}