Tasmania Police have identified three persons of interest following the vandalism of an Aboriginal sacred site on Flinders Island last week.
The sacred site, located at Wybalenna on Flinders Island's west coast, was found vandalised with vehicle burnout tracks having significantly damaged the grounds of the former Aboriginal mission.
Tasmanian Police said although there have been no charges yet laid in relation to the damage, three Launceston men, aged 26, 28, and 31, will be proceeded against by summons for the theft of firewood from the site.
Inspector Luke Manhood said the damage at Wybalenna involved a vehicle, or vehicles, being driven on the site in a series of skids and 'donuts', which ripped up the ground.
"This behaviour is extremely disappointing and has certainly caused distress for the local community," Inspector Manhood said.
Wybalenna was the site of an Aboriginal forced settlement during Tasmania's colonial period, and is known to have been a large Aboriginal burial ground.
Following reports of the site's vandalism the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, who, along with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania and Truwana Rangers have restored cared for the site for years, said the "silent response to the desecration of one of the most historical, sacred, and world-renowned sites in Tasmania is deafening".
"The ease with which someone was able to callously and so publicly destroy the site at Wybalenna without consequence, without public outrage, and without a single legal charge being laid exposes the race-based attitudes entrenched in Tasmania's heritage protection regime and the failure of successive governments to act" Tasmania Aboriginal Centre campaign coordinator, Nala Mansell, said.
Ms Mansell said if a site of colonial significance such as Port Arthur or the Cascades Female Factory was destroyed in the same way, the perpetrators would face "hard-hitting laws, penalties, and public outrage".
"But when it comes to Aboriginal heritage; thousands of years old and of profound cultural and spiritual value Tasmania has the oldest and weakest heritage laws in the nation," she said.
"Nearly 50 years old, these laws have allowed the ongoing destruction and desecration of irreplaceable Aboriginal sites by governments, developers, and the public all without consequence."
Following the incident, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff labelled the vandalism was "enormously disrespectful," while confirming he had reached out to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre to offer support, the ABC reports.
In acknowledging the premier's response, Tasmania Aboriginal Centre chief executive Rebecca Digney said while sympathy is appreciated, "it will not prevent the next act of desecration".
"What is needed now is urgent law reform to finally protect the spiritual and cultural significance of sacred Aboriginal sites," Ms Digney said.
"Tasmania cannot continue to allow sacred Aboriginal sites to remain unprotected under laws that are nearly half a century old and no longer fit for purpose. The desecration of Wybalenna must be the turning point that delivers a new, robust, and culturally informed legal framework.
"We have had enough. We can no longer sit back and wait while our irreplaceable heritage is destroyed. What we need is urgent law reform that properly recognises and protects the spiritual and cultural significance of our sacred sites.
"Our fight will continue each and every day until we see new laws in place."
Tasmania Police have urged members of the public with information about the vandalism to contact police on 131 444 or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au
