Labor pledges $260m to Kakadu National Park under Albanese government
One of the most remote and beautiful parts of our country is set to get a fast-tracked cash boost of $200 million under a new promise.
One of the most remote and beautiful parts of our country is set to get a fast-tracked cash boost of $260 million under a Labor policy promise.
Shadow environment minister Terri Butler said Tuesday that under an Anthony Albanese government, the Kakadu National Park will become “high priority”.
The UNESCO World Heritage site, which is jointly managed by Kakadu’s traditional owners and the federal agency Parks Australia, covers almost 20,000 square kilometres in the Northern Territory and is Australia’s largest national park.
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Kakadu National Park has been home to Bininj/Mungguy for thousands of years and is a place of enormous cultural significance and ecological and biological diversity.
Along with countless waterfalls, open plains and picturesque watering holes, the region is also home to a whopping 10,000 crocodiles, which equates to about one every two square kilometres.
“Managing such a vast national park is a challenging business,” the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment states.
“The team at Kakadu National Park work hard to keep the park healthy, control weeds and feral animals, and use traditional burning to guard against wildfire.”
Both Labor and Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised the funding for Kakadu during the last election but three years on, less than $17m has been spent.
Ms Butler says if elected, the cash rollout will happen as quickly as possible.
“We’d like to see the $260 million that was promised three years ago rolled out as soon as humanly possible”.
The money is expected to be spent on improving road access and tourist facilities.
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