GAC welcomes Minister Plibersek’s release of the State of the Environment Report
Publish Date:
21st July 2022
The Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC), representing the Mirarr as traditional owners of parts of Kakadu National Park, welcome the release of the State of the Environment Report by Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP.
GAC shares the Minister’s strong commitment to the natural environment and the Albanese Government’s principles of protecting, restoring and managing our land and seas.
We deeply value the Minister’s commitment to listen and engage with traditional owners, and welcome her recent first visit as Minister to Kakadu National Park.
While the State of the Environment Report details areas of significant and urgent environmental challenge, it also represents a unique opportunity to undertake positive and lasting change, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the original custodians of the land and sea of this country.
We commend the Minister’s commitment to double the number of Indigenous Rangers by the end of the decade and to protect indigenous cultural heritage. The Djurrubu Rangers in Kakadu provide a strong example of success in both approaches, however these issues are in urgent need of further attention to bring Kakadu into the twenty first century.
We welcome the opportunity to partner with the Government on these important changes, including a review of the outdated Kakadu National Park joint management and leasing arrangements and the long overdue implementation of the commitments agreed to in the Memorandum of Understanding on the Future of the Jabiru Township signed in 2018.
The Mirarr and GAC have led the vision, consultation, negotiations and planning to secure the positive post-mining future of Jabiru township and stand ready to work with the new Government to ensure that the World Heritage-Listed Kakadu National Park retains its status as a globally significant national park.
Contact:
For media: contact Kirsten Blair on +61 412 853 641