A whistleblower with “intimate knowledge” of the unfolding Stradbroke Island situation has reached out to Bill McDonald, naming the Palaszczuk government accountable.

The anonymous tipper alleges a deal was signed off in secret by the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and later handed to the Department of Environment and Science to manage.

The dealings were over an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA), which can grant control over future development, how native title rights coexist with the rights of other people and access to area.

“Now, to prevent public or any scrutiny at all, the department signed off on a strict confidentiality clause for this ILUA,” said Bill.

“This is not about native title; everyone’s in agreement with that.”

Bill McDonald discussed the issue with Andrew Laming, the Member for Bowman, which encompasses Stradbroke Island.

“It’s now becoming pretty clear that the plan is to squeeze non-Indigenous business off the island and you do that by reducing the number of tourists on the island,” said Mr Laming.

“Then of course, you can restart again with an Indigenous owned and controlled island.

“Then, the rest of the country pays for access to the island.

“That’s where it’s heading.”

It’s feared without government intervention, similar monopolies can can follow on other islands.

“Believe it or not, Stradbroke, Moreton and the Quandamooka journey is actually a test case for Indigenous Australia,” said Mr Laming.

“This kind of highly, highly destructive approach to tourism and  obsession with control is something that isn’t seen in much of Australia where’s there’s more cooperation.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview 

Image: Getty 

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