Larrakia community split over sacred sites as Lee Point housing project proceeds

Defence Housing Australia is advancing a 200-home defence housing complex and 600 private-sale lots at Lee Point in Darwin's northern suburbs, a project that has sparked years of protests and dozens of arrests. While many Larrakia people argue the development threatens sacred cultural areas, custodian Helen Secretary has publicly backed the scheme, asserting that the specific reef site Binybara is not within the cleared zone and highlighting collaborative cultural heritage monitoring with Defence Housing.

Opposing custodians such as Lorraine Juwayning Williams maintain that the entire area is a women's sacred site and have appealed to Indigenous Affairs Minister Malarndirri McCarthy. Environmental advocates, led by the Friends of Lee Point, criticize the government's biodiversity offsets for the endangered black-footed tree-rat and question the adequacy of the proposed Gouldian finch habitat plan. Political figures, including Territory Labor MLA Ed Smelt, have intensified lobbying, urging the federal government to shift the housing estate to surplus land at Defence Berrimah. Defence Housing Australia says it has conducted extensive consultation and will continue to do so as construction proceeds.