Parks Australia’s Ricky Archer tells Kakadu TOs he will plead guilty to Gunlom Falls sacred site damage
‘Deeply sorry’: The Director of National Parks will plead guilty to damaging a sacred site at one of Kakadu’s most popular and stunning waterfalls.
Northern Territory
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The Director of National Parks will plead guilty to damaging a sacred site at Gunlom Falls, after a landmark High Court decision overturning crown immunity from Northern Territory prosecution.
Jawoyn traditional owners of Gunlom Falls, one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Kakadu National Park, have been locked in a years-long battle against Parks Australia over allegations it built a walking track that exposed a sacred men’s site to the public.
In October 2022 the Northern Territory Supreme Court ruled that the Director of National Parks could not be held responsible for offences under the NT’s Sacred Sites Act.
Three weeks ago the High Court of Australia overturned that decision on appeal, allowing the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) to continue its case against Parks Australia in local courts.
“As Director of National Parks and a proud Djungan man, I take the protection of sacred sites very seriously,” Ricky Archer said.
“I understand that the trackwork at Gunlom Falls which was undertaken in 2019, before my tenure in the role, caused great distress and upset to the Jawoyn traditional owners of the site.
“I express my deep and sincere apologies to traditional owners for the wrongs of the past.”
Mr Archer has advised AAPA and the Gunlom Aboriginal Land Trust that he, on behalf of Parks Australia, would plead guilty in the proceedings before the NT Local Court.
Gunlom Falls has been closed to visitors since the dispute began.
Mr Archer said Parks Australia had worked to realign the walking track over the past two years, and had since obtained certificates from AAPA for the now completed works.
He sought to reassure stakeholders “that the lessons learned from this situation will improve how Parks Australia plans and executes projects … to ensure something like this never happens again”.
AAPA chief executive Benedict Scambary said the news of a guilty plea was “welcome and long overdue”.
“The World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park is Aboriginal land, leased back to the Commonwealth and jointly-managed by National Parks and Aboriginal custodians,” Dr Scambary said.
“It contains many important sacred sites, including Gunlom Falls, which Aboriginal custodians have shared with visitors for many years.
“The Commonwealth should feel ashamed to have spent so many years in the court fighting this issue.”
The troubled relationship between Kakadu traditional owners and Parks Australia hit a low point in 2020 when the Kakadu board of management launched a no-confidence motion against the park’s federal management.
Mr Archer said he was committed to resolving the Gunlom Falls matter and repairing relationships with traditional owners.
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