“The University of Queensland (UQ) is notorious for its failure to recognise the presence of the First Nations People as original owners of the land (at its St Lucia campus)” Uncle Sam Watson told a crowd at a forum at the University of Qld Union in February 2019.
Now, there is more shocking news, UQ has convinced the QLD Heritage Council that the UQ Union Complex has no heritage value whatsoever. Who knows, University of Qld may currently be considering tenders from the notorious Dean Brothers who wrecked the Belle Vue Hotel and Cloudland on behalf of the Bjelke-Petersen government.
The iconic Schonell Theatre is left to become a pile of rubble when the Heritage Council had previously said it should be saved. WBT wonders how many honorary doctorates this will cost the University? Will everyone on the Heritage Council be offered one?
Fanciful you say? Remember UQ offered ‘Sir’ Joh Bjelke-Petersen an ‘honorary doctorate of laws‘ for his efforts to promote racist apartheid, promoting a bent Commissioner of Police, arresting 2,000 citizens during the democratic rights campaigns, for stopping abortion law reform and sacking 1,002 SEQEB workers. Job well done said the UQ Senate.
Here are other iconic sites demolished by so-called liberal institutions in Brisbane during the past 50 years.
Shame on UQ, shame on the heritage council and the pro-developer Labor government that backs it. The only criterion the Heritage Council seems to have looked is that neither the Schonell nor the Union buildings are very old.
WBT supports direct action to save the UQU site.
Ian Curr
Editor
1 Dec 2019
