Kakadu National Park in crisis as traditional owners revolt against management

KAKADU National Park is in crisis with Aboriginal traditional owners in revolt against the Federal Government’s Parks Australia and declaring no confidence in several members involved in running the park.

Kakadu National Park is in crisis with Aboriginal traditional owners in revolt against the Federal Government’s Parks Australia and declaring no confidence in several members involved in running the park. Picture: Tourism NT/ Jewels Lynch

KAKADU National Park is in crisis with Aboriginal traditional owners in revolt against the Federal Government’s Parks Australia and declaring no confidence in several members involved in running the park.

The ­national park’s board of management is demanding their resignations.

The board contains 10 Aboriginal traditional owners who represent Kakadu clan groups, along with five non-Indigenous representatives of the Territory government, tourism and environment sectors.

The Aboriginal traditional owners on the board have called on federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley to urgently intervene to remove the staff.

The traditional owner board members say they have lost all faith, confidence and trust in Parks Australia’s ­ability to effectively manage Kakadu.

They have described the situation as “irretrievable”.

Ms Ley has asked her department to “urgently prepare a report on the issues raised”.

The chairwoman of the ­national park’s board of management Maria Lee said Aboriginal board members “for some time now … had growing concerns about the way in which the board of management is engaged and consulted by Parks Australia”.

Parks Australia says it “values and respects the longstanding joint management relationship it has with the traditional owners of Kakadu”.

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However, a nine-page unsigned statement by long-term Aboriginal Kakadu Park Rangers and sent to the Northern Land Council (NLC) and Kakadu Board of Management on July 1 makes damning accusations.

The rangers called on the NLC, as the statutory representatives of traditional owners and Kakadu’s Aboriginal Land Trusts, to facilitate an ‘‘on country’’ camp to be attended by board of management, traditional owners, Bininj Kakadu Park Rangers and Indigenous park staff.

“The meeting will be able to hear first-hand of the issues, and importantly discuss solutions to be considered by wider stakeholder groups,” the statement said.

The statement references:

• The handling of a 2019 “helicopter incident” in the park.
• Uncontrolled fires in Kakadu over the past 12 months.
• A 2019 fire that destroyed vast areas of the East Alligator Ranger Station including two park staff houses (with all personal items etc.); three park ranger boats; three park quad bikes; two private (ranger staff) vehicles; caused damage to workshop, loss of sundry items and equipment.
• An ad hoc asset protection and fuel reduction regime.

“We are concerned NT WorkSafe and Comcare have not investigated these fires … surely with over $1 million worth of damage and fire fighters fearing for their lives, interviewing first responders and documenting the event is not only mandatory, but worthwhile for all concerned,” the statement said.

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The unsigned statement says there has also been a history of poor communication with tourism operators about the status of various park visitor sites and “providing misinformation about the opening times, preliminary works required etc.”.