Traditional owners say they have been given five weeks to assess a confidential 2000-page report into the impact of raising the Warragamba Dam wall, as proposed by the NSW government.
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Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill and Wollondilly Shire mayor Matt Deeth have invited the dam's project director, Maree Abood, to attend an urgent public meeting with traditional owners on Friday to hear about the cultural impacts of the dam project.
The Colong Foundation for Wilderness says there are more than 300 cultural sites and 4700 hectares of World Heritage National Parks within the affected area, but traditional owners have been given only five weeks to review the effects of the Warragamba Dam Raising Draft Indigenous Cultural Assessment.
"How are we meant to respond to a 2000-page cultural assessment in a matter of weeks when the area they want to destroy covers over 5000 hectares?" Gundungurra traditional owner Kazan Brown said on Monday.
"This meeting will be a litmus test for Infrastructure NSW. If the government is genuine about consulting traditional owners and the community, they will take part and listen to our people's concerns.
"The simple fact is we need much more time to understand and respond to this hastily put together assessment that tries to excuse the destruction of our people's key cultural sites."
Australian Associated Press
