Traditional owners ignored as $12 million project pushed ahead without full consent

TENDERS were released for a new $12 million project by the NT Government while traditional owners still objected to the project

Traditional Owner Alan 'Oopy' Campbell says he hasn’t hasn’t signed off on the Red Centre Adventure Ride. Picture: Keri Megelus

TENDERS were released for the $12 million Red Centre Adventure Ride by the NT Government while traditional owners still objected to the project.

The first tenders for the 200 kilometres of new bike trails, which will link the Alice Springs Desert Park to Glen Helen in West MacDonnell National Park, were released in September and the announcement stated that the project was “progressing well”.

But traditional owners from the area have still not agreed and strongly oppose the tourism venture due to concerns over the number of sacred sites that lie along the track.

Tourism Minister Lauren Moss stated at the time that the project was “being done in close consultation with traditional owners and key stakeholders.”

But traditional owner Alan ‘Oopy’ Campbell told the NT News the NT Government and Central Land Council were set in making the tourist attraction happen with or without the consent of traditional owners.

He stated it was not something they wanted.

“We’ve had meetings to sign off on a bike path with five-star little dongles along the road for millionaire tourists,” he said.

“No one has agreed to it. How can it be put out to tender when we have not signed off on it? To me that is a rip off.

“It’s not just where the bike path is going, I don’t think people agreed to the bike path in the first place.

“The arguments are still going on now and they can sign off on things and we don’t know what is going on and we are the TOs of the place.”

The West MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia

Department of Tourism and Culture park development director Mac Moyses said the CLC had been provided a grant to “facilitate negotiations”.

“Consultation and negotiations around the concept and design of the Red Centre Adventure Ride with Traditional Owners is ongoing,” he said.

“The $12 million Red Centre Adventure Ride will reinforce the Red Centre as a global mountain-biking destination.”

CLC land management manager Peter Donohoe said there was a “diversity of opinion” on the proposal.

“The CLC is working with the NTG and the traditional owners to address issues they have identified during the consultations so far,” he said.

“Some groups are looking forward to developing their own tourism activities as part of the proposal while others are concerned about site protection, safety and liability issues and about the invasion of the privacy of their homes.”

Mr Campbell said this issue was just one example of a continued failure of genuine consultations by the CLC and, by proxy, the NT Government.

“The land council play that much different people against each other, they create animosity,” he said.

“It’s our land but still the land council is still playing us like nobodies.”