Last-ditch efforts are being made to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage sites on the mid-north coast, where Elders maintain a proposed road work will destroy thousands of years of history.
Dunghutti Elder, James Gurri Dungay, has been fighting for 16-years to stop the tarring of a 12-kilometre road to Point Plomer campground, a coastal site located between Port Macquarie and Kempsey.
On Friday, the federal Department for Environment gave the green light for the works to re-commence.
Mr Dungay has travelled to Sydney, demanding a meeting with the New South Wales Premier to inform her of the potential cultural losses if the devlopment is allowed to go forward.
The definitions of what is considered a sacred site needs to be further expanded to include both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the federal inquiry into the destruction of the Juukan Gorge heard on Tuesday.
The Northern Territory s heritage protection laws are under scrutiny today as the inquiry into the destruction of the 46,000 year old caves continues to investigate the strengths and shortcomings of legislation in other states and territories.
While the NT is recognised as offering strong protections to First Nations people in terms of cultural heritage protection, the Central Land Council s policy manager Josie Douglas told the inquiry there were still gaps in the legislation.