This paper studies a ten year Council fight and the necessary activism of a small group of citizens to stop their Council from selling publicly- owned  Sydney Harbour Foreshore. My study benefits from lived experience. My focus is on the necessity of activism to prevent the machinations of a Council thwarting their community's rights both to public land and also to prevent the abuse of their democratic rights. The fight culminated in four Land and Environment Court Cases , two of which were successful for the community. The  group persevered for ten years because they believed in a civil society and their democratic right of dissent. They also believed in the fundamental  value and right of the public to public land in this case  Harbour Foreshore. The group and ultimately the public suffered from poor media support by the local paper so that the issues at stake were blurred.

As the fight occurred before and after the 2011 federal elections in the Federal electorate of  Warringah, Tony Abbott , the constituents were predominantly climate deniers and emerging neo liberals.

The fight was a microcosm of the wider and more extensive issues which appeared in the State and Federal political arenas.