Historic deal sealed for world-famous tourist drawcard
Lloyd Jones |
The first revenue shake-up in decades at a significant Indigenous site and world-famous tourist drawcard is set to deliver more money for Traditional Owners.
For the first time since the early 1990s, tweaks have been made to the 99-year lease for Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which takes in the renowned rock and the Olgas formations.
Anangu Traditional Owners are set to be the big winners after agreeing to a lease variation with the federal government that will double their national park revenue share and ensure more jobs for their people.
Under the change, the Anangu will receive 50 per cent of park revenue – up from 25 per cent.
It also obliges the park to reach a 50 per cent Anangu full-time equivalent employment target by 2030 and do more to help Traditional Owners’ businesses win contracts.
Celebrations were held in 2025 to mark the 40th anniversary of the park being handed back to the Anangu.
The area is jointly managed by the Anangu and the federal government through the Director of National Parks.
The Central Land Council, representing the interests of central Australia’s Aboriginal people, had been involved in the lease negotiations.
The council’s chief executive, Les Turner, said the new lease arrangements might mean accepting Anangu guidance on where and when to undertake traditional burning or when to close the park for cultural reasons.
The council’s regional development services manager, Mischa Cartwright, said the changes recognised Anangu law and imposed stronger penalties for damage done to sacred sites.
“That is something the traditional owners have been asking for for many years, for stronger protection,” she told AAP on Thursday.
The increased revenue for the Anangu would help them cope with the extreme cost of living in the bush and help them pursue their own community development projects, Ms Cartwright added.
Other key commitments include further protections for sacred sites, mandatory cultural awareness training for park staff, and new measures to recognise Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.
Since 2006, the Anangu have invested almost $21 million in 102 projects in their communities, including a swimming pool in Mutitjulu that’s patrolled by Indigenous lifeguards.
Uluru working group and park board of management member Alison Carroll welcomed the plan for extra jobs for Anangu people, saying more community development projects could now go ahead.
“We have been speaking up strongly for our young people and we need them to become leaders like us and get jobs,” she said.
The changes were a major step forward in jointly managing and protecting one of Australia’s most culturally important landscapes, Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt said.
“The updated lease reflected what Anangu have been asking for – stronger cultural protections, greater involvement in decision making, and more opportunities for employment and enterprise at the park,” he said.
AAP