A Queensland council has asked for a police report into bones found near a former Aboriginal mission to be publicly released after voting to refuse an application to build a childcare centre there.
Ipswich Council is in talks with the state government over their rejection of the project near the Deebing Creek Aboriginal Mission and cemetery, a heritage-listed site in the growing urban corridor, west of Brisbane.
The council voted to knock back developer AV Jennings' application two weeks ago after receiving more than 160 objections.
Deputy Premier and Local Government Minister Steven Miles, who has jurisdiction over cultural heritage matters, asked the council to provide reasons for the rejection on Monday.
Chief executive Sonia Cooper says the council wants to stand with Indigenous people and other community members, who are strongly opposed to the development.
The council also wanted more information about a police report into an investigation of bones found on the site.
"Council wishes to stand by the First Nations' people in opposition to the development," Ms Cooper wrote in a letter to Mr Miles on Friday.
"The community has raised cultural heritage issues, that are of concern to Council and it seeks to have the State clarify the facts of the matter, with respect to the First Nations' issues around the origins of the bones discovered on the site."
The council has also asked Police Minister Mark Ryan to publicly release the police report into the bones.
Indigenous protesters held a smoking ceremony on the site of a separate housing development near the proposed childcare centre on Friday.
Toolmoor Truth and Healing Embassy members held the ceremony on land being cleared for the 1000-home Stockland Botanica development.
Developer Fraser Property Australia and five of the nine Yuggera Ugarapul People native title applicants agreed to a cultural management plan for the project in 2019.
However, the protesters say there are unmarked graves on the development site, where they believe an undocumented colonial massacre occurred.
"The Toolmoor Truth and Healing Embassy are calling for an immediate cease and desist in attempts to prevent further desecration to the intangible losses of the many tribal descendants who have the remains of their ancestors buried on site," spokesperson David Kinchela said in a statement.
"Protectors will be stopping work by conducting a smoking ceremony under our cultural obligations to honour the victims of a reported massacre. This is our constitutionally protected right to practice our culture."
