Grampians shutdown angers climbers

Indigenous owners handed sweeping control over cultural heritage management in parks.

Mount Arapiles in western Victoria faces a climbing ban.

Traditional indigenous owners have been handed sweeping control over cultural heritage management in Victorian parks, leading to the virtual shutdown of rock climbing’s heartland.

The Victorian government’s pact to allow traditional owners to control cultural heritage decision-making is a key part of a little-known policy threatening adventure sport.

Parks Victoria’s decision to end climbing at most of the best routes in the Grampians National Park is central to its policy of “managing country together’’, which states as a clear principle that traditional owners control cultural heritage.

“Tangible and intangible heritage will be managed in the ­appropriate way, as determined by traditional owners,” the principle states.

The protocol means that parks across Victoria are open to the same level of intervention as the Grampians if the government is alerted to potential cultural sensitivities by traditional owners.

Fines of up to $1.6 million also have been legislated for groups that fail to protect indigenous heritage.

The decision to ban climbing in large parts of the Grampians, about 250km west of Melbourne, with virtually no consultation, has mystified climbers, who are gearing up to legally challenge bans in an estimated 500sq km of the park.

Nearby world renowned Mount Arapiles is also facing ­potentially crippling climbing bans. Parks Victoria and indigenous groups claim climbers have been deliberately damaging rock art and bush, a claim rejected by the sport’s leaders.

Analysis of Parks Victoria policies shows that the government has introduced a framework that hands rare powers to indigenous groups, potentially binding bureaucrats.

“In the context of government policies, and in line with the Victorian charter of human rights and responsibilities and the Victorian public service code of conduct, Parks Victoria is committed to protecting the human rights of Victoria’s traditional owners,’’ the policies say.

“Including recognition, cultural freedoms and property rights.’’

The principles include park management planning aligning with the priorities and goals of traditional owners and Parks Victoria will support traditional ­decision-making, processes and structures.

The decision to ban climbing in the Grampians was made without taking into account the economic hit local businesses will face by severely restricting the sport.

“Traditional owners have their own approaches to understanding and valuing intangible heritage,’’ a Parks Victoria spokes­woman said.

“Parks Victoria works in partnership with traditional owners to manage and protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.’’

Parks Victoria has also introduced tough new restrictions for climbing instructors in the northern Grampians. The bans across the Grampians have been made without climbers actually knowing where most of the sacred sites are meant to be.

Simon Carter, who wrote Grampians Climbing, the guidebook to the area, said the crackdown was self-defeating and would do nothing to protect sites.

“These bans are bewildering, they close some of the safest climbing in the state, they will ­seriously damage lifestyles, livelihoods and businesses,’’ he said.

“It’s outrageous that Parks Victoria have not consulted climbers and involved them in the process here, instead parks have demonised climbers, and some at parks have maliciously misled the public about the impact that climbers have had.

“When it comes to the preservation of Aboriginal cultural heritage, I think this is all very counter-productive, without climbers our stewardship is lost. And it greatly disturbs me that PV is pitting traditional owners and climbers against each other.’’

The Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 leaves open the prospect of multiple $1.6m penalties if more than one site has been damaged.