Belle weather or bad times ahead for the Bundian Way?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That’s what the managers and skeleton staff of Eden’s Jigamy Farm are anxious to know, with renewed anxiety about the future of the so-called Pathway of Peace in the face of the weekend’s election stalemate.
With the final ballots still being counted, manager of the Bundian Way Noel Whittem is already focused on winning Labor member for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly, making sure he makes good on his June 17 pre-election promise to invest $1.4million into the Bundian Way project...whichever way the federal cookie crumbles.
“There was also a further commitment of $600,000 from the NSW state government which he’d apparently negotiated,” Mr Whittem said on Monday, July 4.
The investment is urgently needed to address an alleged “financial crisis” faced by Jigamy Farm despite recent funding windfalls.
“On April 28 the Commonwealth government announced $700,000 in funding for infrastructure associated with the Bundian Way Project,” Mr Whittem said.
“Although the Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council is exceedingly grateful to the former federal government for this funding, the ELALC has been informed that this funding is not to be used as wages for its two crucial management positions who oversee the project, other than 10 per cent for administration.”
Mr Whittem – filling one of the two manager roles in jeopardy – said the former member for Eden-Monaro, Peter Hendy, was “well aware of the issue prior to the election” and told the ELALC he would hold further discussions with the former Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion to address the issue.
Mr Whittem said the land council did not hear back from Dr Hendy prior to the federal election last Saturday, and said that given the current political stalemate he has grave fears for the future of the two management positions, as well as the Aboriginal Ranger crew and supervisor in charge of building and maintaining the pathway.
“The ELALC is now desperately awaiting further advice from whichever party is going to form government to enable the Bundian Way Project to progress,” Mr Whittem said.
The 365km Bundian Way is an ancient ancestral pathway linking the Snowy Mountains to Eden’s Twofold Bay, and is lauded nationally for its historic significance as well as its potential as a future tourism enterprise.
Mr Whittem re-emphasised that to realise the full breadth of the Bundian Way project – including new cultural tourism for the Eden region coinciding with the cruise ship industry, ongoing Aboriginal employment, walking trails, campsites, archive and education – the ELALC is “dependent upon further seed funding from three tiers of government”.
“We are now relying on Mike Kelly’s generous pre-election commitment to come to fruition,” Mr Whittem concluded.
After the result fell his way, Dr Kelly did not hesitate to acknowledge the value of the Bundian Way and his personal commitment to it.
“I remain firmly committed to it, and if Labor finds itself in a position to govern I will guarantee that (the pre-election funding promise) will happen,” Dr Kelly said on Monday.
“If there is a Coalition government, I will lobby hard to make sure there is the same commitment, but if I can’t secure funding from them then there are other alternatives.”
Dr Kelly said he would “reach out to businesses and investors to achieve the same result”.
“I’ve proved when I was the member previously that I was able to work with businesses and community groups to achieve outcomes beyond government policy and funding,” Dr Kelly said.
Dr Kelly promised to “get cracking” on the issue as soon as possible.