DSMG Working Group - RRM7
the DSMG Working Group
The Dharug Strategic Management Group (DSMG) Working Group is a culturally led forum established to guide and monitor the Richmond Road Upgrade project where it intersects with Dharug Country, in particular the Blacktown Native Institution (BNI) site. The Working Group brings together representatives from the Dharug Strategic Management Group, Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW), and independent cultural facilitators to support respectful, transparent, and culturally informed decision-making.
DSMG holds legal custodianship of the BNI site and has led its care, protection and restoration guided by the Conservation Management Plan developed in 2023. The Working Group reflects a shared commitment to upholding cultural protocols, acknowledging the living significance of Dharug ngura (Country), and embedding Dharug community voices in project planning and delivery.
The role of the Working Group is to act as a platform for co-design, shared accountability, and culturally safe collaboration across the life of the Richmond Road Upgrade. It ensures that Dharug perspectives are not only consulted but are integral to key decisions relating to heritage, access, environmental impact, and site use. The group reviews and provides input into technical and planning documents, supports the protection of cultural heritage values, and works to uphold cultural continuity for the site. As a place of deep historical trauma, healing and resilience, the BNI site represents a critical part of the Dharug story and is central to efforts to ensure culturally safe infrastructure development.
The DSMG Working Group’s leadership is essential to ensuring that engagement with the BNI is undertaken respectfully and in partnership.
Project Overview
The Richmond Road Upgrade is a major transport infrastructure project led by Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW), designed to improve traffic flow, safety, and connectivity between the M7 Motorway and Townson Road in Western Sydney. This corridor crosses Dharug Country and directly intersects with the Blacktown Native Institution (BNI), a site of profound cultural, spiritual, and historical importance to the Dharug people.
The Blacktown Native Institution was established in 1823 as one of the earliest state-run institutions for Aboriginal children, many of whom were forcibly removed from their families as part of early assimilation policies. The site is one of the most significant remaining physical connections to the origins of the Stolen Generations in New South Wales. For the Dharug community, it represents not only a place of trauma and dispossession, but also a powerful symbol of survival, healing, and resistance. The BNI has since become a place of cultural resurgence and education, actively used by Dharug people for ceremony, cultural practices, and community-led care for Country.
In recognition of its significance, the BNI is formally listed on the State Heritage Register and is protected under the New South Wales Heritage Act. The heritage listing acknowledges the unique role it plays in the history of Aboriginal-government relations in Australia, and its importance as a site of truth-telling and restorative justice.
Given this context, the Richmond Road Upgrade is being delivered in close partnership with the Dharug Strategic Management Group (DSMG), who hold legal custodianship of the BNI site. The project’s success depends not only on engineering and transport outcomes but on its ability to uphold cultural safety, strengthen community leadership, and integrate the Dharug vision for Country.
PROJECT COntactS
Tika EQ
Liam Harte
liam@tikaeq.com
0404 449 625
Transport for NSW
Luke Messer
luke.messer@transport.nsw.gov.au
0407 006 432
Gamuda and DT Infrastructure JV
Níall (Neil) Fry
niall.fry@gamuda.com.au
0409 769 393