NTIBN CEO Naomi Anstess says US-backed company buying Ayers Rock Resort is ‘anti Australian’
A US-backed firm potentially buying Ayers Rock Resort is ‘dispossessing to mob,’ says one NT CEO, who believes any international buyer of the site would be ‘anti Australian’. Find out more.
The potential purchase of Ayers Rock Resort by a US-backed company is “dispossessing to mob,” says a Territory chief executive, who believes the acquisition of Uluru tourism assets by any international buyer would be “anti-Australian”.
Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network chief executive Naomi Anstess made the comments after the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) announced it was in “exclusive” discussions with Journey Beyond over the sale of Voyages Indigenous Tourism assets.
Journey Beyond – backed by New York private equity firm Crestview Partners and operates the Ghan – could soon be the new owner of accommodation at Yulara and Mossman Gorge in Far North Queensland.
“The far North Queensland site as well as the Uluru site are of significant importance to our people and particularly to traditional owners,” Ms Anstess said.
“I’m sure traditional owners have been involved in the conversation, but the reality here is even though land and native title and Aboriginal land rights means that land is still in the hands of traditional owners, having an international entity running those significant properties on country is dispossessing to mob.
“It takes away from the opportunities for it to be black owned and black led, it takes away from opportunities for mob to create an economic pathway.
“Having our keystone cultural heritage, beautiful tourist opportunities in the hands of the US – it’s also a little bit anti-Australian.”
Questions were sent to the ILSC asking how many parties were interested in purchasing Voyages assets, where the parties were from, and if the traditional owners of either the NT or QLD were involved in the sale at process at all.
A spokesperson directed queries to a statement issued last week, in which an ILSC spokesperson announced the body was in “exclusive” discussions with Journey Beyond on the potential purchase of Voyages Assets, such as Ayers Rock Resort.
“Journey Beyond has grown to now be Australia’s leading and largest experiential tourism group and we believe they are the ideal potential partner, that presents us with the best opportunity to deliver on our primary objective – to fulfil our statutory obligations of returning land to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and in doing so, create benefit for traditional owners at both Yulara and Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre, as well as Indigenous people at a local, regional, and national level,” the statement read.
“These discussions are ongoing and at this stage there is no final binding agreement.
“Given the confidential nature of these discussions, we will not be commenting further.”
Previously, Airport Development Group (ADG) – owner of Darwin and Alice Springs Airports – wanted to keep the NT tourism assets in “Australian hands”.
But in a statement issued by the group last Saturday, ADG neither conceded defeat nor signalled its intention to keep jostling for control of Voyages assets.
“ADG acknowledges that, due to confidentiality obligations, it is unable to comment on the process undertaken by the ILSC,” the statement said.
Ms Anstess said “in a perfect world” she’d love the community of Mutitjulu to purchase the Red Centre tourism assets.
“I guess the fat lady hasn’t sung … in my role as chief executive of the National Indigenous Business Chamber Alliance, I will be writing to the ILSC to ask what opportunities there will be to reconsider this and talk to the Aboriginal business sector.”
Journey Beyond was contacted for comment.
Originally published as NTIBN CEO Naomi Anstess says US-backed company buying Ayers Rock Resort is ‘anti Australian’
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