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DISC-0039 / ITEM-0022

Women's restricted knowledge concerning Kumarangk (Hindmarsh Island)

Ngarrindjeri religion · Lower Murray and Coorong, South Australia

Disclosure date
2001
Date precision
Year
Disclosure method
Court record
Extent
Reference
Record review
Unreviewed

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Restricted material and access

Knowledge asserted in 1994 by a group of Ngarrindjeri women opposing a bridge to Hindmarsh Island, given to the federal minister's reporter in sealed envelopes marked for women only.

Material type
Restricted oral knowledge
Restricted to
Ngarrindjeri women with the relevant authority
Restriction mechanism
oral_only, social_sanction
Stated reason
Restricted women's knowledge that may not be disclosed to men or outsiders
Tradition origins
ancient

Recorded practice status

Unknown

Status as of
Not recorded
Status claims
Not recorded

Disclosure dates, source publication dates, tradition origins and dates of practice are separate.

What this disclosure covers

Judgment on whether the knowledge was fabricated; does not publish it.

The source

Chapman v Luminis Pty Ltd (No 5) [2001] FCA 1106 ↗ (SRC-0037; authenticity: Verified)

Author
Federal Court of Australia (von Doussa J)
Original publication
2001
Linked edition
Not recorded
Format
Court record
Provenance
court_filing
Rights of source work
Court record
Identifiers
Not recorded
Source content hash
Not recorded

Read on the Federal Court of Australia's own judgments site on 2026-11-04: von Doussa J, Adelaide, 21 August 2001; application dismissed.

Reported as (2001) 123 FCR 62.

Claims about this item

These claims may cite other sources for the same restricted item. Supporting and contradicting evidence remain separate.

CLM-0007 · Other

The restricted women's knowledge about Hindmarsh Island was fabricated.

Claim support
Contradicted
Record review
Reviewed
Period
1994–1995
Locators
SRC-0036: report of 19 December 1995; SRC-0037: paras 133, 199, 330
Sources counted as independent
Not recorded

Supporting sources

  • Report of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge Royal Commission (SRC-0036; authenticity: Unassessed)

Contradicting sources

The Royal Commission (1995) concluded the whole of the women's business was a fabrication. The judgment records that Dr Kartinyeri did not give evidence to the Commission and that the contents of the sealed envelopes were not before it (para 133). In 2001 von Doussa J heard evidence from several Ngarrindjeri women supporting its genuineness (para 330) and was not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that it was fabricated or was not part of Aboriginal tradition (para 199). The two bodies are independent and heard different evidence. Checked against the judgment text on 2026-11-04.

  • SRC-0036: Source authenticity is unassessed; this is separate from the truth of its assertions.
  • SRC-0036: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
  • SRC-0036: The source text's rights have not been established.
  • SRC-0037: No source-level content_hash is recorded; linked artifact hashes may identify excerpts, derivatives or metadata instead.
  • CLM-0007: Claim support is contradicted; retain that qualification when quoting or training.

Evidence qualifications

Reviewed means checked against a source. It does not establish source authenticity, independent corroboration or present-day practice.

Item notes

Its authenticity was the subject of a Royal Commission and later litigation. The content has not been published.