Gday,
What do you think about handing over our National Parks?
The Country Liberal Party’s Nigel Scullion capitulated in the Senate this week to forces committed to transferring the ownership of 13 national parks in Central Australia, including the iconic West MacDonnells, to Aboriginal interests.
The policy was initiated by former NT Chief Minister
Clare Martin, and has been resolutely rejected – amongst others – by the Country Liberal Party (CLP), the
Alice Springs Town Council, seven out of eight mayoral candidates in the recent council elections, including new Mayor Damien Ryan, and 75% of people answering an
Alice Springs News poll on the question (among other issues): 254 of 336 people surveyed agreed with the proposition “leave all national parks in public ownership but set up an Aboriginal
park management advisory body”.
NOW....
The Aboriginal ownership of Ayers Rock and the lease-back to a parks service of the national
park has been touted as a shining example of the benefits of such an arrangement.
This was until the Intervention, and other events, have put the spotlight on the tragic dysfunctionality of the Mutitjulu Community at the base of
The Rock, racked by violence, substance abuse and unemployment.
Tourism icon Uluru is a major component of that industry in The Centre that’s not engaged in the pervasive welfare economy.
Yet increasingly
The Rock is becoming a pawn in black power politics.
Alice Springs based activist Vince Forrester appeared on SBS World News on Saturday, introduced as “an elder from the Mutitjulu community”.
This is what he had to say about the Intervention, claiming some labeled it as “invasion or ethnic cleansing”: “If they don’t get rid of this racist legislation by September we’re going to take our fight to the rest of the world.
“We’re going to throw a big rock on top of you.
“We’re going to close that climb ... no more climbing Uluru.”
Meanwhile, changes to management of
Rainbow Valley and those planned for Devil’s Marbles
reserves are instructive examples of the direction in which joint management of parks and
reserves is heading.
At
Rainbow Valley visitor access will be restricted to around one tenth of the reserve area.
Signs will advise visitors to not access culturally sensitive
places such as the claypan.
Conditional access to other parts of the reserve may be granted under Parks and Wildlife Conservation by-laws.
Permit conditions will be set by the joint management partners, though the plan says no fee is payable.
Public gatherings on the reserve will be subject to permits.
At Devil’s Marbles it is proposed to restrict visitor access to roughly one quarter of the reserve, immediately to the east of the Stuart Highway.
Access will be restricted (by permit only or in connection with approved concession) to the Conservation Zone, roughly a half of the area.
And only male employees of the Parks and Wildlife Service will be able to enter the Special Protection Zone for approved management purposes.
The zone occupies about a quarter of the total area, the far eastern section, and also a small area within the Visitor Zone.
Id be interested to hear you thoughts....
Cheers
Hairy