BUSINESS NSW Central Coast, in partnership with Gosford Erina Business Chamber and Central Coast Council, have announced Jake Cassar Bushcraft & Survival as a finalist for the 2025 Central Coast Visitor Economy Awards.
This means Jake Cassar “will embark on a unique mentoring program designed to elevate their storytelling, refine their presentation skills, and prepare them for the spotlight”.
Yikes.
If like us, you don’t think Mr Cassar needs additional exposure in a forum in which his brand of ‘storytelling’ is platformed and uncritically accepted, here is something you can do.
According to the Terms and Conditions of the Awards, point 2.6:
2.6 The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any entry if they believe the entrant has engaged in unethical, fraudulent, or improper conduct that could damage the integrity of the awards.
This means that if the 2025 Central Coast Visitor Economy Awards are made aware of Jake Cassar’s activities of concern, they can uphold their ethical duty and disqualify him before further harm can be done.
All we need to do is send an email to the awards:
visitoreconomyevents@businessnsw.com
shanna.mcdonald@businessnsw.com
maddy.young@businessnsw.com
david.jones@businesssydney.com
alan.mascarenhas@businesswesternsydney.com
coralie.mccarthy@businessnsw.com
serena.hardwick@businessnsw.com
Feel free to use this draft:
To Whom It May Concern,
RE: Objection to the Nomination of Jake Cassar – 2025 Central Coast Visitor Economy Awards
I write to object to the nomination of Jake Cassar (Jake Cassar Bushcraft & Survival) for recognition in the 2025 Central Coast Visitor Economy Awards. Mr Cassar’s ongoing conduct—including cultural appropriation, disinformation campaigns, and the platforming of known identity fraudsters—renders him fundamentally unfit for any public honour.
Mr Cassar has repeatedly implied Aboriginal heritage without basis, a form of Indigenous Identity Appropriation that causes direct harm to Aboriginal communities and undermines the legitimacy of real Aboriginal voices. He uses this false perception to position himself as a “protector of sacred sites,” while actively opposing Aboriginal-led initiatives, particularly those of the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council (DLALC).
Through the Coast Environmental Alliance—a group he founded and leads—Mr Cassar has orchestrated aggressive public campaigns to block DLALC’s land developments at Kariong and elsewhere. These efforts rely on debunked pseudoarchaeology (e.g., the “Gosford Glyphs”) and settler conspiracy theories that erase Aboriginal cultural authority. He has also aligned himself with fringe political movements, COVID-19 conspiracy activists, and known far-right figures, using fear, misinformation, and anti-government rhetoric to mobilise followers.
Mr Cassar’s platform routinely promotes individuals from the non-Aboriginal “GuriNgai” network—people who falsely claim cultural identity and obstruct legitimate Aboriginal landholders. In doing so, he facilitates the theft of identity and cultural authority that the Aboriginal community has fought to protect.
According to Section 2.6 of the Awards Terms and Conditions, the organisers may disqualify entrants for conduct that is unethical, fraudulent, or damaging to the integrity of the Awards. Mr Cassar’s track record meets all three thresholds. Honouring him would legitimise identity fraud, embolden disinformation campaigns, and cause further harm to Aboriginal people across the Central Coast.
I urge the Committee to act in the interests of cultural safety, truth-telling, and reconciliation by disqualifying Jake Cassar from consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
A Long Con, Gone on Too Long. 
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