Muṯitjulu Township SubleaseMuṯitjulu Township Sublease

Muṯitjulu Township Sublease

On 16 March 2017, the Director granted a sublease to the Executive Director of Township Leasing (EDTL) over an area of the park including the Muṯitjulu community (see Figure 11). The Muṯitjulu Township Sublease was granted with the consent of the Board, the Central Land Council and the Uluṟu Kata-Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust and in accordance with the previous management plan. The EDTL administers the area covered by the sublease on behalf of the Commonwealth and works with a Consultative Forum of Traditional Owners and residents of Muṯitjulu.

The purpose of the Muṯitjulu Township Sublease is to implement a secure and regular land administration system which provides certainty of tenure through long-term underleases. Security of tenure provides opportunities for new infrastructure investment and enables Anangu to pusue their social, cultural and economic aspirations. Anangu now have direct input into all decisions about land use in Mutitjulu and receive rent from their land.

The area covered by the Muṯitjulu Township Sublease remains part of a Commonwealth reserve and the World Heritage area. Under this management plan, the area over the sublease is assigned IUCN category VI ‘Managed Resource Use Protected Area’, and is referred to as the Muṯitjulu Township Zone (see Section 1.5 IUCN category and zoning). The prescriptions in this section recognise the need, benefits and practicality of assessing and approving proposals within the Muṯitjulu Township Zone in a different manner to the remainder of the park. These prescriptions also recognise that the EDTL, as the current Muṯitjulu Township sublessee, is now responsible for managing that part of the park on behalf of the Commonwealth. Accordingly, all development and use of the Muṯitjulu Township Zone must comply with this section of this management

plan, and with the terms and conditions of the Muṯitjulu Township Sublease and any other applicable laws or Regulations.

Water to the Muṯitjulu community and the Cultural Centre precinct is supplied by the park’s Southern Aquifer. As the capacity of the aquifer to supply these areas into the future is unclear, the Director commissioned an Aquifer Sustainability Assessment in 2018 to help assess groundwater quantity and sustainable use of the Southern Aquifer. The assessment recommended sustainable management practices and monitoring in order to manage the long-term viability of water resources (see Section 3.1 Knowledge for managing country for more details).