Permit APY Lands

I have said this before, it is pretty annoying that the Australian taxpayer has given them $104,000,000.00 for road improvements & transit permits are almost impossible to obtain. I also believe that there is another $30,000,000.00 plus to upgrade the airstrip.

If you want to see how indigenous politics work and the permit system a good read is a book about Papunya, it is called King Brown Country. It will change your attitude on indigenous politics forever.
Lindsay

Jim, when are you planning to go there? I applied around 6 months before going and chased up as nearly a full-time job.

I got the permit 2 days before we were there. I'd basically given up and we had a plan b route. We were in Warburton when I got the email.

A policeman in APY asked for my permit and said I was one of 2 or 3 bonafide tourists he had seen in 2- 3 years that he had been working there.

A lot of luck and perseverance.

I found whilst living in the NT to get the local communication happening and put the word out, so to speak...try the local community Health Clinic, they generally have a good relations with the surrounding community and would be able to point you in the right direction.
There is the Central Lands Council in Alice Springs, they could be able to put you in contact with someone APY..
Try this website...http://www.anangu.com.au/index.php/permits.html...

Jim, I’ve just come across your post as a consequence of receiving the General Newsletter 482. So belatedly, I will describe my experiences and reflections relating to the business of APY Lands permits. I am unlikely to provide anything particularly new, but I will possibly complement the picture (puzzle?) provided by other members.

We planned to cross the Lands from the WA border (from Pipalyatjara) to Indulkana following a Gunbarrel crossing in August of last year (2018). I applied for our permit on 1 May 2018 seeking permission to visit several art centres in the Lands. I received quite a prompt email reply on 4 May from the Permits Officers stating (quote) “your permit needs to get approval at the next Executive Board meeting on the 23 May.”

I followed up on 3 June with an email to the Permits Officer asking (quote) “if you have any news from the Executive meeting on 23 May 2018 regarding our application for a permit to visit the Arts Centres in the APY Lands later this year.”

Again I received a very prompt reply (4 June) from the Permits Officer stating (quote) “I have just been sorting through the Permits that have just come back from the meeting. I am sorry your application has not been approved so sorry…… The permits at this stage are mainly for people that work in the APY Lands or visiting a family member here or a contractor.”

Our experience with Ngaanyatjarra Council was a significant contrast to that with APY Executive. In April 2018, we applied for a permit to cross from Warburton to Wingellina, explaining that we would have just exited the Gunbarrel and would be applying for a permit to visit APY Land art centres. We also provided an assurance that, while travelling from Warburton to Wingellina, we would not enter any communities along this route e.g. Jamieson, Blackstone, Wingellina. We received our permit two days later (a pity that subsequently we were not able to use it, following our inability to receive a permit from APY Executive).

So in the end we did the very traditional and less exciting thing: after exiting the Gunbarrel, we travelled the Great Central Road to Yulara.

While we were out and about last year (2018), we came across some interesting and contrasting attitudes and practices by other travellers relating to the permit system and access to Aboriginal Lands. I will provide three examples.

Example one: just prior to our commencing the Gunbarrel, and while at Carnegie Station, we encountered a gentleman who chose not to apply for permits to access Aboriginal Lands. His justification was that, provided he did not invade the privacy of Aboriginal people by entering their communities, there was no issue with him sticking to traversing roads. He also argued that the permit system is a bureaucratic construct and at grass roots community level, Aboriginal people are not that bothered by respectful visitation.

Example two: while on the Gunbarrel, we bumped into a couple who described how they had set out on the Eagle Highway to visit the Warri site, but encountered the ‘no entry – Aboriginal Land’ sign. After some deliberation, which included a consideration of the fact that they could probably travel the road without detection, they decided not to proceed to the Warri site out of what they described as a respect for the wishes of Aboriginal people.

Example three: after exiting the Gunbarrel, we camped at Warakurna where we camped next to three families who were all related to each other. One of the families was from Queensland, another from Perth and the third family was from Victoria. Each family had travelled separately to Warakurna, which was their agreed meeting place prior to continuing on together on a joint family holiday.

The Victorian family accessed Warakurna by transiting the APY Lands. They chose not to apply for a Permit. They had determined that if they were stopped and asked for a permit, they would offer to pay the required permit fee. Their expectation seemed to be that their money would be accepted and that they would be allowed to proceed without any consequences (incidentally, they were not asked to present a permit).

I have been following the discussion (by Connie and Mick) on the Beadell Tours website about access to APY Lands permits. Some people have speculated on whether Richard King’s departure as General Manager will result in greater access to permits (off all types, including transit permits). I did some work in the APY Lands in the late 1990s and am aware that as far back as that time there was concern in the Lands about the impact on communities of the high level of visitation from all sources (in fact, my memory is that Umuwa was established as an administrative centre and ‘visitation buffer’ to reduce this impact).

It is pure speculation on my part by I suspect that Richard may have simply been taking a harder line on a long standing policy. His departure may make it easier for tour groups to get permits, but I suspect that general travellers like ourselves will still be up against it. But I repeat – that’s pure speculation in my part.

Here endeth this ‘war and peace’ saga!