ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Mr WOOD: He waffles at other blokes, but not for me.
Mr HAMPTON: It is not waffle. In terms of the budget, did you want …
Mr WOOD: Yes, is there an increase in the budget to match the change in the park?
Mr PHELPS: Member for Nelson, the joint management arrangements, when they came in, it was
$3m. Additional funds came to meet some of the additional costs of joint management across the
Northern Territory, and some of that $3m has been applied to Gregory National Park, in particular, in
aspects like apprenticeships, actually putting more staff on the ground, and more work on the ground
through that funding.
Mr WOOD: There are lots of questions I could ask on Gregory National Park.
Mr HAMPTON: Yes.
Mr WOOD: Great place. In relation to Keep River National Park, that was the one park that was left
out of joint management plans. What is the status of that park at the present time?
Mr HAMPTON: Again, I will hand over to Graham Phelps.
Mr PHELPS: Keep River National Park is declared under section 12 of the act, and is operating as a
normal non-joint managed national park. However, like a lot of our national parks that are not formally
under the joint management arrangements, Aboriginal people with traditional affiliations to those are
key and special stakeholders in those parts. So, we work very closely with the traditional owners of
Keep River in our planning work for our management plans in the area. There is at least one
community living area within that park as well, and the close relationships between our staff and the
Aboriginal people of Keep River National Park.
Mr WOOD: And last question, in relation to Chambers Pillar Conservation Reserve, in your last
annual report, you said the reason that the management plan had been delayed is because there
were disputed claims amongst traditional owners. Has that been sorted out, and has the management
plan been finalised?
Mr HAMPTON: Again, I will hand over to Graham Phelps, but before I do, as Graham has pointed
out, there $3m in the joint management budget was allocated in 2009-10. I can say that 59% of that is
Indigenous employment training programs, 9% joint management planning, and 32% for governance
and other projects. In terms of Chambers Pillar, I understand that is transferred to Aboriginal
ownership under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, Schedule 1. Graham might want to add to that.
Mr PHELPS: I would not say that the issues around ownership are completely resolved, member for
Nelson, but the joint management plan is completed, and we would be hoping to have that tabled
fairly soon, later this year.
Mr WOOD: If you have got disputes about who is the traditional owner, then how can you have a
management plan?
Mr HAMPTON: Good point. Well, that management plan has been done in consultation with all the
traditional owners, and through the Central Land Council, so in terms of the other issues, I suppose
that is an issue for the land council to work through with those particular groups, but it does not stop
the management plan.
Mr WOOD: But surely you could not sign up on a management plan which is designed to work with
the government and the traditional owners if you are not sure who the traditional owners are of that
particular reserve?
ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Mr HAMPTON: Well, that is not a point for us, that is a point for the land councils. Under the Land
Rights Act, it is their statutory function to sort that out.
Mr WOOD: But you would not sign off on a plan until that was sorted out?
Mr HAMPTON: That is right.
Mr WOOD: Okay, thank you.
Mr TOLLNER: I have only got a couple of questions. Under these joint management plans, have you
arrived at agreement on how revenue will be generated in these parks?
Mr PHELPS: There are a number of ways that revenue is generated in the parks. There will be rental
payments for those parks where tenure is held by the traditional owners of the parks, and those
values are worked out by the Valuer-General.
Mr TOLLNER: What about the parks that were handed over to traditional owners?
Mr PHELPS: They are the parks where the traditional owners have tenure, have ownership of those
parks. There will be rental payments due for those.
Mr TOLLNER: So we have handed over the parks, now we are going to pay rent for the parks that we
handed over, is that right?
Mr PHELPS: Member for Fong Lim, yes, the decision was made that the tenure of those parks, and I
think there are, I would have to check it up, there are a number that have been granted title under
the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, the Commonwealth legislation, and there are four that will be granted
title Territory freehold under the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act and, as the
traditional owners of those areas now hold title to those areas, the arrangements for that granting of
those lands was that they then lease them back for 99 years.
Mr TOLLNER: So your answer is yes?
Mr PHELPS: That is right.
Mr TOLLNER: Right, no worries. The financial contributions from each party to the management of
the park, excluding rents that the Territory government is now paying for parks that they gave away,
are they equal?
Mr PHELPS: The responsibility for managing those joint-managed parks falls to the Northern Territory
government as the managing authority, and the Northern Territory government pays for the
management of those parks.
Mr TOLLER: Right, so what we are saying is, that we have handed over a bunch of parks, which we
handed over for free, we are now paying rent for those parks, and we are also paying all of the
financial requirements, funds that are required to manage those parks
Mr HAMPTON: Mr Chair, can I say in terms of the rental payments, these rental …
A member: Interesting deal.
Mr CHAIRMAN: Order! Order! Minister has the call.
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