Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #1:

“Hopefully we’ll be able to hold them all off as long as possible...but yeah, they’re pretty forceful, there’s a lot of police and security here at the moment...yeah, we’ll keep you updated.”

[Theme music starts]

RUBY:

From Schwartz Media, I’m Ruby Jones, this is 7am.

This week, the Victorian government began cutting down sacred Djab Wurrung trees to make way for a highway expansion between Melbourne and Adelaide.

After years of protest, police moved in to dismantle an embassy on the site.

Today, as we wait on the outcome of a supreme court hearing, Djab Wurrung woman and Greens senator Lidia Thorpe on the fight to save her peoples’ heritage.

[Theme music ends]

RUBY:

Lidia, can you tell me about what happened at the Djab Wurrung Heritage Protection Embassy this week?

Archival Tape -- [Recordings of people sitting in circle singing/chanting peacefully]

LIDIA:

So people, you know, have been there respectfully and peacefully protesting for a number of years now.

And the Andrews government decided to raid these campsites at the same time as the premier made an announcement on the restrictions of Covid being somewhat lifted.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #2:

“Here on Djab Wurrung country, vic police taking advantage of the lockdown, trying to evict sovereign camp. This is shameful, super shameful.”

LIDIA:

There were riot police. There were uniformed police and there were also private security contractors that came on, which clearly outnumbered the protesters.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #3:

“...Up to a hundred police here, kettling protesters now, and starting to arrest protesters…”

LIDIA:

They cut down the fencing and made a line in front of the land defenders. And they were heavy handed.

Archival Tape -- [Recording of a man being arrested and people yelling for them to get off him]

LIDIA:

The police went in to evacuate people from the main camp, which is the Djab Wurrung embassy camp.

And they destroyed one of our ancestor trees.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #4:

“When you remove something like this from country, it affects our songline, and all of this just to make way for a freeway.”

LIDIA:

So while people were celebrating around the state, we’re mourning the desecration of one of our ancient ancestor trees.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #4:

People don’t understand why this hurts so much. We have a saying which is we don’t own the land, we belong to it, and when our country is destroyed, when our land is destroyed, us as first nations people, we feel this, we feel it in our soul, and we feel it so deeply.

RUBY:

So, as you say, on Monday one of these sacred trees was cut down by the roads department. Can you tell me more about that?

LIDIA:

We refer to it as a directions tree. It's quite incredible. It's hard to describe without being there.

I mean, it's just an incredible ancient tree with incredible markings, lines going across a tree. It's hundreds and hundreds of years old. And it looks like an ancestor. I mean, its greatness, its presence on country, is a place where Djab Wurrung people go and reconnect. And to see it desecrated the way that it was and in the timeframe that it was, is just...it's just gut wrenching.

It's not just a tree to us. It's part of who we are as Djab Wurrung people. We are no different to that living being. We just come in a different form.

RUBY:

Lidia, who is ultimately responsible for the protection of the Djab Wurrung trees? What is the line of responsibility here, in terms of both the Andrews government and also the federal environment minister, Sussan Ley?

LIDIA:

Well, they both have roles to play here. Sussan Ley could have looked at the evidence that she was provided more thoroughly and seen that all of these trees and this whole landscape, in fact, needed to be protected, heritage protected.

If Sussan Ley was to put in a heritage protection immediately, then it would stop any further destruction.

And then we've got the Andrews government who, you know, I suppose there is money being spent each day that that road isn't built.

But also there are ways that the Andrews government could also protect this area through the cultural heritage legislation.

Archival Tape -- Daniel Andrews:

“If we waited around to get 100 percent buy in on this, if we waited for an absolute consensus, then that deadly stretch of road would go unimproved...”

LIDIA:

If the Labor state government in Victoria either abolished the cultural heritage legislation or gave it a massive overhaul, then that would also make a difference, because this will continue to happen.

Archival Tape -- Daniel Andrews:

“As I understand it, there's been legal action, there'd been agreements and settlements reached, there's been direct consultation with the twelve families who essentially comprise that traditional owner group, and we have done as we said we would do.”

LIDIA:

You know, this is the ramifications of this legislation that is really bad for our people and our country. It's a manufactured speedy consent process for the government.

RUBY:

We’ll be back in a moment.

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RUBY:

Lidia, while all of this is happening, the Andrews government is trying to negotiate a treaty with First Nations people in Victoria. What does the destruction of the Djab Wurrung trees mean for that process?

LIDIA:

Well, it means that it's not a treaty. It means that, you know, what is the definition of a treaty to the Andrews government?

When we debated the legislation in parliament, they couldn't even recognize that we are the sovereign people of these lands. So what is the definition? I think that the Andrews government wanting to go down more of an administrative process rather than a treaty process, and they are showing absolutely no good faith whatsoever. They've desecrated a significant site of the Djab Wurrung people.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #4:

“And the way that the Andrews government and others involved in these decision making processes, they've broken the hearts of Djab Wurrung women and Djab Wurrung children, Djab Wurrung people. And, you know, we are the last generation that will ever see that directions tree.”

LIDIA:

I just think it's...it's a joke, really. And there's a lot of money being spent on a very big joke.

Archival Tape -- Unidentified Protester #4:

“You cannot say you are all for the elements of a treaty - self determination, community - you can’t do that and then go and destroy, make irreversible decisions in destroying sacred country.

RUBY:

Lidia, taking all of this into account, why do you think this is happening, in the face of all of this opposition and this knowledge that we have about the significance of the Djab Wurrung trees? Why do you think that this piece of Indigenous heritage is being destroyed?

LIDIA:

Look, I think that we're unfortunately still part of this colonial project that's been in this country for over two hundred and thirty years, and the colonising, oppressive nature of the systems that exist here have always been in the best interest of the government and their mates, not the first people of these lands.

You know, we have the oldest continuing living culture in the world right here, and we're being completely disregarded and disrespected on every level. So this is about our rights as first people in this country. And it seems like they continue to be denied and we continue to be oppressed by these racist systems.

RUBY:

Lidia, thank you so much for talking to me about all of this today.

LIDIA:

My pleasure.

RUBY:

At 2pm today, the Victorian Supreme Court will hear a case launched by Lidia’s mother, Marjorie, to halt the destruction of the Djab Wurrung trees.

Archival Tape -- Marjorie:

“It's not my loss. It's everybody's loss in this country. We're all losers from this. Not just Aboriginal people - everybody's losers. Because for future generations. What are we going to have - superhighways that are disintegrating because they can't fix them up fast enough? You know, just concrete jungles? That's not what I'd like to see. I'm glad I'm old.”

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[Theme music starts]

RUBY:

Also in the news today…

Victoria has recorded two new coronavirus cases and two deaths in the past 24 hours.

The Premier Daniel Andrews said both new cases were linked to known outbreaks and the individuals were already in isolation.

The figures come as thousands of people in Melbourne return to work in retail and hospitality.

And the government has also confirmed that the Boxing Day cricket test will be held at the MCG, with plans for a crowd of up to 25,000 people.

I’m Ruby Jones, this is 7am. See ya tomorrow.

[Theme music starts]