NT Government to push ahead with National Aboriginal Art Gallery after receiving support from traditional owners
THE NT Government will forge ahead with its plan to build the National Aboriginal Art Gallery after it said its preferred site had now received the approval of traditional owners
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE NT Government will forge ahead with its plan to build the National Aboriginal Art Gallery at the Anzac Hill precinct in Alice Springs after it said the site had now received the approval of traditional owners
The Government’s preferred site has long been the Anzac Hill precinct in the CBD. including the oval owned by the local council.
But the Alice Springs Town Council has been adamant that it would agree to the site only if traditional owners give consent.
RELATED STORIES
Anzac Oval will not be declared a ‘heritage place’, NT Government announces
Council prepared to challenge NT Government on National Aboriginal Art Gallery site
NT Government reinforce they will compulsory acquire Anzac Oval
In a statement released this morning, the NT Government said it had now received a letter from the Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation, which represents Arrernte people from the Mparntwe, Antulye and Irlpme estates.
“The letter states Lhere Artepe’s support for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery to be situated at the Anzac Hill precinct,” Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Lauren Moss said in the statement.
Ms Moss said the corporation mentioned the economic and social benefits the museum would bring to their people and to the town of Alice Springs, particularly as we recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have not and will not waiver on this commitment,” she said.
Ms Moss said the NT Government would now push ahead with the development as it was “one of the biggest investments into Alice Springs in decades”.
“We intend to build this iconic art gallery at the Anzac Hill precinct, which incorporates Anzac Oval,” she said.
“The construction of the art gallery will open up the area for green space and community use.”
Earlier this month NT Government minister Dale Wakefield said her Government would compulsorily acquire Anzac Oval to build the gallery in the precinct if the council did not release the land.
But the council responded by saying it would fight any attempts to compulsorily acquire the oval.
MORE TOP NT NEWS
Community hits back at Throb venue plan for East Point Reserve
15-year-old charged with murder over teenager’s death in Darwin
Territory caravan parks struggling to survive without grey nomads
“I remain incredibly concerned at the Minister’s comments,” councillor Eli Melky said, in response.
“We need to call out this Minister and this Government for being immature in this process, given we are all trying to survive and manage our way through COVID-19,” Mr Melky said.
Ms Wakefield wrote to the Alice Springs Town Council in March, and again (with Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Lauren Moss) last month, requesting the Council reconsider its position on using the Anzac Oval site for the gallery.
Ms Wakefield stated in her April letter that she had many approaches from traditional owners saying they wanted the gallery to be built at the Anzac Precinct site.
Get a pair of Sennheiser wireless earbuds worth $499 with this 12-month NT News subscription
“Many traditional owners just want us just to get on with it just like most of Alice Springs want us to get on with this project …,” she said.
Council members agreed that they want evidence of this support before it would change its position.
Originally published as NT Government to push ahead with National Aboriginal Art Gallery after receiving support from traditional owners