Leesha McKenny, Sydney Morning Herald Urban Affairs Reporter has done outstanding investigative work over the last four months. She has assiduously followed up the suspicions of Friends of Malabar Headland members and others in the community that the Liberal Government wanted to sell a large part of Malabar Headland for residential and commercial development.
Leesha’s first article (Appointment fuels development fears for the Malabar Headland – 3 October 2014) revealed that a “project development and environmental consultant”, Nation Partners, had been appointed to advise the Department of Finance on the headland’s strategic potential:
From statements Nation Partners published on their public website, it was apparent that their brief included assessment of the potential of the headland to be sold to property developers for residential and commercial development.
Leesha followed up on 6/12/2014 with a further article – Sporting shooters have new HQ in their sights, freeing up Malabar headland:
Since then, Leesha has used a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to obtain the report, preparation of which had passed from Nation Partners to a larger consultancy (Coffey). Coffey’s report states that the Commonwealth-owned land is “surplus to requirements” and would generate a “significant return” if sold:
There has been a strongly negative reaction to the conclusions of this report in Randwick City, throughout the densely populated Eastern Suburbs and elsewhere in Sydney. Greens, Labor and independent representatives at local, state and federal levels of government have all publicly articulated the community’s response. For example, the Acting Mayor of Randwick City today issued a strongly worded statement that expresses community sentiment on this issue:
Randwick City Council Mayoral Press Release 22 Jan 2015
In response, Liberal Government’s Environment Minister Greg Hunt has spoken to the media and stated that Malabar Headland “won’t be sold, it will be kept in public hands in perpetuity”. Video of and extracts from Greg Hunt’s statement are included in Leesha’s updated article – Malabar headland: Abbott government rules out landsale, also published today:
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/malabar-headland-abbott-government-rules-out-landsale-20150122-12vq9m.html
Superficially, one might conclude that the Liberal Government has mismanaged the planning for the future of Malabar Headland, allowing an expensive consultant’s report to be prepared that offers advice that is contrary to its own policies and is therefore worthless.
The reality is otherwise. The Environment Minister is aware of the environmental values of the headland and its importance to Randwick City, the Eastern Suburbs and Sydney. He knows that he has no choice but to advocate for its preservation as public open space.
However the Minister for Finance, Senator Cormann (Western Australia) and his assistant, Parliamentary Secretary Michael McCormack (National Party, representing the Riverina electorate), who are far more influential in the Liberal Government than Greg Hunt, have ambitions to sell many Commonwealth assets to private commercial interests. There is no doubt that Malabar Headland has been on their list.
We believe it remains there, and urge the community to be vigilant, and express its wishes forthrightly if it is to save what Labor Member for Kingsford Smith, Matt Thistlethwaite has described as “the sacred green shoulder of Maroubra beach, the last remaining tract of native bushland between the harbour and Botany Bay”.
We are currently adding the documents released under FOI, other documents and information and some commentary to our Future of the headland page.
Friends of Malabar Headland 
Great news. question is: where will the approx $100 million be coming from to remediate the headland???
– Randwick Council, State Government, may be the Federal Government?
– How long before the shooters move out?
– When is the walking path going to be built?
Let’s hope progress is made from now on, it would be frustrating to see the proposed
headland project drag on as it has for decades now.
This a fantastic opportunity for a “green” and sustainable world class tourist attraction to be established, a mega coastal walk along the eastern beaches, all the way from Watson’s Bay to Botany Bay with the headland being the highlight.
Just so everyone knows it is now possible to walk from Maroubra to Malabar without the “world class” footpath regards Paul
Andrew has beautifully phrased the optimistic element in the recent news. My own sense of pessimism as regards conservation of habitat tends me to be less good-natured!
I want a divorce from LNP husbandry. I want to protect our children’s future health. Developer frenzy threatens our security of nature’s beauty and power for good.
Like all FOMH here, I want a gorgeous park, with incredible sandstone sculptural majesty. Those cliffs are truly spectacular, they are beauty rich and rare. The bird happiness can be seen inside the thick bushland. The ocean and rock panorama is astonishing.
So, here’s a government’s chance to make a rich environment which is based on the planet’s bounty, not plattering the headland to some bling-draped warthog’s idea of mass housing!
I know I know, head for a cooling swim, but the thought of towering buildings and concrete and tar underfoot, a sad sight. Hmmmm. Joni Mitchell was wrong: we’re not even going to have trees left to put in a museum.
Paul,
The scenery is world class.
You can walk between Maroubra to Malabar via Anzac Parade. Walking on the headland is illegal. There are plenty of signs. That doesn’t stop people using it though. We want legal access so all can enjoy the world class scenery.
Regards,
Woops ! Didn’t realise you weren’t allowed. It was a while ago that i did the walk and I don’t remember any signs, just ducking as the bullets flew past the head ! (just joking but they were firing at the time) I know recently they stopped people going to gun emplacements on La Perouse headland as they contain asbestos. Maybe same with Malabar ones ? What a great spot it is and it should be returned fully to nature – I am sure Sir Prince Phillip and his son the great Prince Charles will agree with me. No development for the headland and the rifle range should become a park given over to NPWS which should have its funding trebled if necessary to restore it to its former glory. After all there is less than 5% (1% ?) of the original Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub left , we need to look after the remainder. Maybe raise funds via a “Swimming Pool and Air Conditioning Tax” – anyone in the East who lives within 5km of the headland can pay a large amount , a punitive tax in fact, for any pools or aircon that they own and patently DO NOT NEED
Paul , wary of the term “world class”