John Sinclair interviewed by Lindsay Marshall in the Decades of Division oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 5037600
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Sinclair, John, 1939-, interviewee
- Online Access:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2010
- 2 sound files (ca. 139 min.)
- Series:
- Decades of Division oral history project.
- Technical Details:
- Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
- Summary:
-
John Sinclair talks about the quality of early education he received, its standard compared with modern day; the increasing professionalism in the environmental movement; attitudes in Maryborough towards the Fraser Island timber industry; his initial involvement in the conservation movement; Judith Wright; the motivation for starting the Maryborough branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, their activities; Queensland Agricultural College, Gatton; his political background; Jack Pizzey, Queensland Country Party; the impact of the fight over sandmining at Cooloola; Dr Arthur Harrold; the reaction to initial public notices about potential sandmining on Fraser Island; the establishment of FIDO (Fraser Island Defence Organisation); his recollections of the first legal challenge to mining lease applications and the political campaign; the early indications of government pressure being applied to his employment as a public servant; tactics after the loss in Mining Warden's Court and the outcome of the July 1971 Maryborough by-election.
Sinclair discusses the expectations of the Whitlam Government after its election in December 1972; a visit to Fraser Island by the Hope Commission of Inquiry; criticisms of him by MPs in the Queensland Parliament; the trade union movement and the campaign to protect Fraser Island; the impact of the sacking of the Whitlam Government on the Fraser Island Inquiry and dealings with the Fraser Government; the findings of the Fraser Island Commission of Inquiry and Prime Minister Fraser's acceptance of them and subsequent banning of export of mineral sands; being named Australian of the Year by national newspaper The Australian; the Queensland justice system; Joh Bjelke-Petersen; his decision to leave Queensland in mid-1980s and move to work in Sydney and his reasons for returning to Queensland (2005); his involvement in the inquiry by Tony Fitzgerald into the Fraser Island timber industry set up by the Goss Government; the reaction to the inclusion in 1992 of Fraser Island on the World Heritage List; the current status of the island; his views on state and national political systems and politicians' attitude to environmental issues; current environmental challenges; his awareness of surveillance by Queensland Police Special Branch during Fraser Island campaign.
- Notes:
-
- This interview was conducted in association with the Queensland Chapter of the Don Dunstan Foundation and the National Library of Australia, Oral History and Folklore Branch.
- Recorded on 11 December 2010 in Brisbane, Qld.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (7 p.) and uncorrected transcript (typescript, 58 leaves) available.
- Subject:
- Occupation:
- Tourist operators
- Other authors/contributors:
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Decades of Division oral history project.
This collection contains 20 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2080 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2010
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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