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To. Hon. Sussan Ley, cc. Hon. Rob Stokes cc. Hon. Matt Kean SMEC Engineering should not not be undertaking such an important environmental and cultural asssesment on the raising of Warragamba Dam wall. 
 I am writing to express my view that SMEC Engineering has no authority to write the environmental assesment for the proposed inundation of Gundungurra cultural sites and the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area from the raising of Warragamba Dam wall.  
 The Snowy Mountains Engineering Corp (SMEC) has an established history of abusing Indigenous rights across the globe. These abuses have taken place as part of environmental and cultural assessments for other dam projects, notably in Southeast Asia, Mongolia and Africa. The alegations were detailed in a submission from seventeen Indigenous and environmental NGOs from six countries to the NSW Parliament last week. 
 SMEC Engineering  has been <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/world-bank-bans-iconic-australian-firm-over-inappropriate-payments-20170929-gyraf8.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> from working in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for allegations of bribery and have an extremely poor record of working with First Nations people. I am also aware of SMEC Engineering dismissed the views of hundreds of Indigenous peoples in Myanmar when conducting the environmental assessment for the Mong Ton Dam. 
 Locals from Myanmar have said that “SMEC’s consultations are entirely insufficient. The first consultation was only two hours. You cannot discuss anything in two hours. And they announced this consultation via a tiny ad in one of the last pages of the newspaper”, with other locals also reporting that military authorities in Shan State sent a tank through the villages “to remind them to participate in the consultations” run by SMEC. 
 Any assessment by SMEC Engineering is not worth the paper it’s written on. If the NSW and Federal Governments are serious about their commitments to the World Heritage Committee, they must find a new consultancy firm.

DITCH SMEC

Laziness, dishonesty and racism - that's the best way to describe SMEC Engineering's cultural report on Warragamba Dam.

SMEC Engineering have secretly released an Indigenous Cultural Assessment that has attempted to excuse the mass-destruction of Gundungurra heritage. Traditional Owners have been given only 40 days by SMEC to review a 2000 page Draft Cultural Assessment, and have been told they are not allowed to share it with anyone - even experts.

SMEC Engineering is a company that was banned from working in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for allegations of bribery and have an extremely poor record of working with First Nations people.

SMEC Engineering is clearly in the business of white washing cultural destruction. The history and survival of a culture should not be treated as a box-ticking operation.

Any assessment by SMEC Engineering is not worth the paper it’s written on. If the NSW and Federal Governments are serious about their commitments to the World Heritage Committee, they must find a new consultancy firm.

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DITCH SMEC