Resignation means time to repair the relationship with management and traditional owners
THE resignation of the head of Parks Australia implies it is time for the management of Kakadu National Park to repair its relationship with traditional owners
Opinion
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THE resignation of the head of Parks Australia follows revelations of an ongoing conflict between traditional owners and management of Kakadu National Park.
This crisis was borne out of numerous allegations against management, including a history of poor communication with tourism operators, the handling of a 2019 helicopter crash in the park and uncontrolled burns and bushfires at Kakadu in the past year.
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Environment Minister Sussan Ley deserves kudos for making a five-day trip to the NT to speak with stakeholders involved and see first-hand what is happening at the World Heritage icon.
She did this quite stealthily last week and did not hold a press conference or alert the media, which is mildly annoying.
As it stands, Parks Australia director Dr James Findlay has resigned and Assistant Secretary for Kakadu Dr Brandt Smith and Kakadu Park Manager Mr Russel Gueho have both moved to other roles within the department.
What needs to happen next is a smooth transition to new brass who can and will move to repair the relationship.
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Following this, it is important for the funding allocated to Kakadu National Park by the federal government and the extra money recently committed to national parks across the country including Kakadu, to be spent in a responsible and timely manner to ensure the park is ready to bounce back from the COVID-19 induced destruction of tourism as soon as possible.
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