The community plan for a Culture and Environment Centre at the site of Pyrton, presented by Greg Rowe and Associates to the Ministry of Planning on behalf of various local community groups in the area, has seen the Pyrton site become a symbol of community aspirations for a place of learning, respect and sanctuary for the Aboriginal culture so easily overlooked, neglected and more often ridiculed in our society.

Valuable activities proposed for the Cultural Centre amongst others, include the Daisy Bates Archive and Research Centre, an environment and wetlands education centre, Health Education Centre and a community and cultural precinct which would be of benefit to the whole community.

The Pyrton site offers an opportunity not only for local residents but for all West Australians to create a centre of artistic and spiritual growth where we can build a sense of connection with our environment with our history and with each other. It is a vision which cannot encompass a prison.

The riverland is an asset to be enjoyed by all of the people. If a prison is sited at Pyrton the people will be denied.

The Social/Ethical Interest of Wider Community Outweighs Pecuniary Interest of Other Parties.

With respect to Section 10 Clause 4e of the Aboriginal Heritage Protection Act 1984 "the effects the making of a declaration may have on the proprietary or pecuniary interests of persons other than the Aboriginals referred to in paragraph (1)(a)."

As the Town of Bassendean has expressed interest in buying the land, and the state government has recently offered to vest free of charge 25 hectares of the land in the Town of Bassendean for uses it considers appropriate, the community perception regarding pecuniary interest is;

1. Once having sold the land to the Town of Bassendean the Ministry of Justice could then afford to relocate their proposed prison elsewhere.
2. If the state government plans to give away 25 hectares, it makes a mockery of their argument for decisions to be made purely on pecuniary interest.
3. Social and ethical costs to the community and indeed the state in the long term of the proposed prison as outlined in this report have not be taken into account and may outweigh any shorterm financial gain for the Ministry of Justice.
4. The Ministry of Justice has also failed to consider issues such as the bad repair of the buildings, the presence of asbestos and inadequate sewerage in their refurbishment estimates. It may be that if these estimates were subject to proper independent scrutiny, then the pecuniary interests of the Ministry of Justice would be better served with the proposed prison being located elsewhere.

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Contacts
Swan Valley Nyungah Community (08) 9377 3550
Pyrton Action Group (08) 9279 6781