The intention in developing this Plan of Management is to identify ways of making joint management more sustainable and workable. This will mean formalising some practices between the joint management partners being the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, Mutitjulu Community Inc. and the Uluru Katatjuta Aboriginal Land Trust (through the Central Land Council). These partners are assisted by many other key groups, including the Office for Joint Management (formerly known as the Community Park Liaison Office), the Pitjantjatjara Council Inc. and Parks Australia consultative groups and committees. It is anticipated that the concept and implementation of joint management will continue to develop during the currency of the Plan.
Title to the Park was granted to the Uluru - Katatjuta Aboriginal Land Trust on 26 October 1985, and the Land Trust immediately leased the Park to the Director. Joint management of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park has been operating since 10 December 1985 when the Board of Management was established. From this time Anangu and Piranpa have worked together to manage the Park’s natural and cultural values as well as the steep increase in the number of people visiting the Park. This has involved a great deal of commitment to the spirit of cooperative, or joint, management by all concerned. The maintenance of Tjukurpa as the driving force has been paramount. In addition, laws such as the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 and the National Parks and Wildlife Conser vation Act 1975, and the Park Lease guide and inform joint management.
The concept of joint management is relatively new for national parks around the world. It is based on sharing resources and working together. These are also strong elements of Tjukurpa. Examples of other jointly managed Parks in Australia include Kakadu, Mutawintji, Witjira, Nitmiluk and Booderee.
Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park is known throughout the world as a ‘symbol of and forum for cooperative management and intercultural communication’ (Layton & Titchen 1995). This comment highlights the scope, and the importance, of joint management in world terms.
This chapter describes the formal and informal mechanisms for joint management in the Park.
Uluru - Kata Tjuta Board of Management was established by a notice issued under section 14C of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975. The notice was published by the Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Environment (with the agreement of the Central Land Council, as required by section14C) in the Commonwealth Gazette on 10 December 1985. It has since been amended by further notices published in the Gazette on 21 April 1986 and 21 June 1989. The amended notice makes the following provisions.
• A Board for Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park is established.
• The name of the Board is the Uluru - Kata Tjuta Board of Management.
• The Board consists of six Aboriginal people nominated by traditional owners, the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, a representative of the Minister for the Environment, a representative of the Minister for Tourism, and a scientist experienced in arid land ecology and management.
The Board’s functions under section 14D of the Act are as follows:
* with the Director, to prepare the Plan of Management for the Park;
* to make decisions about the management of the Park that are consistent with the Plan of Management;
* with the Director, to monitor the management of the Park;
* with the Director, to advise the Minister on the future development of the Park.
Board procedures and appointments are provided for in sections 14E to 14K of the Act. The Board will continue under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
• the Board of Management’s role in monitoring and ensuring compliance with the Plan of Management and the Lease should be a priority.
• training should be appropriate for both Anangu and Piranpa Board members.
• it is important to recognise that limited resources and time are available for information gathering.
• current budget arrangements limit the Board of Management’s scope of activities.
Aim
* to ensure that the Board of Management is adequately supported to effectively carry out its statutory role in managing the Park.
• Training for Board members. All members of the Board are to continue to receive training in their legal and policy roles and responsibilities, including policy development, monitoring and budgeting processes, meeting procedures, conflict of interest, ministerial briefings, and cross-cultural awareness. The training program is to be prepared by the Office for Joint Management in consultation with the Park Manager and the Chair of the Board. Funding for this training is to be incorporated in the Board’s annual budget allocation.
• Procedures manual. The Board Secretariat is to prepare for the Board a procedures manual that records the respective roles and responsibilities of Board members as well as meeting procedures, including agenda and standing items. Board procedures should be periodically reviewed through the Secretariat.
• Consultative Groups. In addition to existing consultative groups, the Board may provide for the establishment of consultative or advisory groups, on either a continuing or a short-term basis, to advise the Board and be a forum for dialogue between Parks Australia, the Board of Management, and other interested parties.
• Secretariat support. Secretariat functions and support will continue to be provided through the Office for Joint Management.
3.3 The joint partners
3.3.1 The Director of National Parks and Wildlife and Parks Australia
The position of Director of National Parks and Wildlife exists by virtue of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975. The position and functions of the Director continue under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Under the Act, the Director has responsibilities for the management of the Park, and the administration of the Act and other legislation (see section 2.6). Under the Lease, the Director also has a number of rights and responsibilities (see section 2.4). The Director sits on the Board of Management in his or her own right
and is responsible to the Board for Park management and the implementation of Board decisions; in this respect the Park Manager and the staff of Parks Australia are the Director’s agents. The Park Manager reports to the Director through the head office of Parks Australia North, in Darwin.
Parks Australia is part of the Commonwealth Government’s Environment Australia and shares Environment Australia’s charter of striving for excellence in the programs for which it is responsible. It also upholds the ethical values of the Australian Public Service and is committed to integrity, responsiveness, responsibility, and caring for the environment, as outlined in Environment Australia’s corporate plan.
The Director of National Parks and Wildlife has a number of obligations under the Act, the Lease and the Plan of Management. The Lease states that preservation, management and maintenance of the Park’s flora, fauna, cultural heritage and natural environment be in accord with the best management practices established for national parks anywhere in the world or, where no comparable management practices exist, with the highest standards practicable. Any change to Park-related legislation that could be considered substantially detrimental to the interests of the Aboriginal traditional owners of the Park may provide grounds for terminating the Lease subject to an obligation to negotiate bona fide with a view to a new Lease being granted.
• Park budgets constrain the extent to which Parks Australia is able to move ahead with Plan of Management and Lease prescriptions and maintain Park values whilst allowing high-quality, controlled use of the Park by visitors
• because of the Park’s significance as a national icon and a tourist attraction, it is especially important that Parks Australia is able to maintain good relations with all interested parties
• the Northern Territory Government aspires to a greater role in management of the Park
Aim
• to ensure that the functions and responsibilities of the Director of National Parks and Wildlife and Parks Australia continue to be carried out in accordance with the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975, and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and the Park Lease and uphold the charter and values of Environment Australia
• Liaison with the tourism industry and other interested parties. Parks Australia will continue to pursue open and productive communication with the tourism industry and other interested parties. The consultative committees will be an important part of this process.
• Requirements of the Lease and the Act. During the preparation of budgets and business plans, Parks Australia will draw attention to the legal obligations under the Lease, the Act and this Plan in relation to the management standards required for the Park.
• The Director or Commonwealth will not enter into arrangements under s20 or s36 of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 or s393 or s515 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, or under clause 8 of the Lease changing management roles in the Park, without the consent of the Land Trust and relevant Aboriginal Association.
3.3.2 Mutitjulu Community Inc. and the Office for Joint Management
As the Lease requires, the Director of National Parks and Wildlife provides funding to Mutitjulu Community Inc. for a Community Liaison Officer in accordance with the budget approved by the Board of Management.
The previous Plan of Management determined that Board consultation on park management policy with Nguraritja ‘will be conducted through the Mutitjulu Community Liaison Officer unless Mutitjulu Community Council requests other mechanisms acceptable to the Board’.
During the term of the previous Plan the Community Liaison Officer’s workload escalated for a number of reasons. These included a substantial rise in the number of visitors, an associated increase in visitor-management developments, increased Parks Australia projects and proposals requiring greater consultation with Nguraritja about cultural and natural resource management. The national effects of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and the 2001 celebration of the centenary of the Federation give cause to expect that these pressures will continue to increase.
A review of the Community Liaison Officer position, presented to the Board in February 1997, recommended that the position title be changed to ‘Coordinator, Joint Management’ and further ‘that the office through which the position operates be renamed the Office for Joint Management’ (Morgan 1997). Other recommendations dealt with expansion of the functions of and resources for this Office. The expanded functions include the development and management of a structured training and development program for people involved in joint management of the Park and the provision of a Board Secretariat.
The Secretariat service is provided by the Assistant Coordinator, Office for Joint Management, a position created in 1997. Among the Assistant Coordinator’s other responsibilities are supporting the Chair of the Board of Management and the Coordinator, Joint Management and identifying a systematic program of cost recovery for the training program.
The Board endorsed the review’s key recommendations at its March 1997 meeting. The new arrangements have now been implemented.
• provision of adequate funding to perform planned tasks
• regular communication between all those parties involved in joint management
Aim
• to ensure that the Office for Joint Management is provided with adequate resources to meet its responsibilities during the currency of this Plan and that the resources are sufficient to facilitate effective Anangu involvement in joint management
• Office for Joint Management. The effectiveness, funding and staffing requirements of the Office for Joint Management will be reviewed at least once during the life of this Plan.
• Funding. Funds will be made available from the Park’s Australia budget for the effective implementation of joint management.
3.3.3 Uluru Katatjuta Aboriginal Land Trust and the Central Land Council
The Central Land Council is established under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Nor thern Territor y) Act 1976. As the representative of the Uluru Katatjuta Aboriginal Land Trust, the Central Land Council plays an important role in joint management of the Park through assistance with consulting traditional owners, both within the Park and in surrounding communities. The Land Council also helps ensure that the provisions of the Lease are upheld. Its functions under the Act for the Central Land Council area include:
• ascertaining and expressing the wishes and opinions of Aboriginals in that area as to management of and legislation concerning Aboriginal land in that area;
• protecting the interests of traditional Aboriginal owners and other Aboriginals interested in the Aboriginal land in that area;
• assisting Aboriginals in the protection of sacred sites in those areas;
• consulting with traditional Aboriginal owners of, and other Aboriginals interested in Aboriginal land in the area about proposals for the use of that land;
• assisting Aboriginals in that area to carry out commercial activities; and
• supervise and assist Land Trusts that hold title to Aboriginal land in that area.
Under the Lease, the Central Land Council represents the Uluru Katatjuta Aboriginal Land Trust and has specific functions-for example, receiving and distributing rent and other payments; being consulted in relation to administration, management and control of the Park; and providing a mechanism whereby the Director of National Parks and Wildlife can consult with ‘relevant Aboriginals’.
The Central Land Council also has important functions under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975: it may make representations in relation to a proposed Plan of Management; it monitors whether the Director is complying with the Plan of Management; and once a Board of Management has been established by the Minister the notice cannot be revoked or amended without the Land Council’s agreement.
• a number of matters such as a lack of resources, time and the size and nature of consultations required, affect the ability of the Central Land Council to consult with traditional owners
• many of the Park’s traditional owners live in communities remote from the Park
Aim
• to ensure the Central Land Council fulfils its functions in relation to the Lease and relevant legislation
• Consultation. In keeping with its statutory obligations and the requirements of the Park Lease, the Central Land Council should continue consultations with Nguraritja in relation to matters such as Park management, land use and development proposals, and Anangu-owned commercial activities. Ways of improving the coordination of consultations carried out through the Central Land Council and the Office for Joint Management will be considered.
• The Central Land Council should engage in regular consultation and liaison with the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, Mutitjulu Community Inc. and the Pitjantjatjara Council Inc. in relation to the administration, management and control of the Park.
• Monitoring implementation of the Plan. The Central Land Council should have a number of roles in the development and monitoring of the Plan of Management:
• provide a staff member with suitable expertise to observe and advise at all Board of Management meetings;
• provide a staff member as a participant in planning forums for the Park;
• provide staff and resources (including interpreters) to facilitate Anangu participation in Park affairs.
• The Central Land Council should report regularly on consultations with ‘relevant Aboriginals’ and monitoring of compliance with implementation of the Plan.
3.4 (Tjunguringkula warkaripai) - working together
Working together is the basic philosophy of the Park’s joint managers. Overall management of the Park is determined by policy decisions made by the Board of Management. Joint management is implemented through Anangu working with Parks Australia. The Office for Joint Management facilitates Anangu involvement in all aspects of Park management as well as providing secretariat and operational support to the Board of Management.
The Park’s joint management partners will continue working to increase the effectiveness of the management arrangements. This is in keeping with the Board’s vision of working together as equals, exchanging knowledge about different cultural values and processes, and applying Anangu Tjukurpa and practice and relevant Piranpa knowledge in joint management.
Anangu work with Parks Australia in a number of areas:
• employment and training of younger Anangu in the work of managing the Park;
• consultation with senior Nguraritja about important aspects of planning, management and use of the Park;
• two-way sharing of information in the field, workshops and meetings;
• developing mutual respect and recognition of skills and knowledge;
• identifying and solving problems together;
• some administrative duties, including staff recruitment;
• developing and implementing the Park’s policies including film, photography, interpretations and land management.
Successful joint management must be based on a partnership of trust, with all parties committed to making it work, just as when people live and work closely together, success is ultimately measured by individuals’ ability to cooperate within formal structures and to respect each other. Joint management is about solving problems, making decisions and sharing responsibility for those decisions. It is about the partners feeling comfortable in the relationship and benefiting from it while achieving the desired ends.
There are many participatory methods of consultation and planning which are ideally suited to the concepts and philosophy of joint management. Recent years have seen a remarkable expansion in participatory learning, research, extension planning, land management and monitoring. Participatory methods of consultation and planning are ideally suited to the concepts and philosophy of joint management because they:
• stress the importance of landowner participation and ‘ownership’ of decisions;
• aim to empower landowners, fostering trust, openness and self determination;
• provide a practical array of exercises enabling landowners to share, enhance and analyse their life experiences, to plan and to act;
• emphasise the role of ‘outsiders’ as facilitators rather than advisers;
• help in the 2 way flow of complex concepts between people with different cultures and world views;
Such methods were used in the preparation of this Plan of Management.
As the Board of Management and Parks Australia look to the new millennium, joint management will continue to progress at the forefront of world best practice. Joint management will also greatly contribute to reconciliation in Australia and the recognition and maintenance of indigenous cultural values where Anangu and Piranpa work, listen and learn together.
• varying cultures, languages and views between partners in joint management
• differences between Anangu and Piranpa with regard to access to funding
• increased opportunities and promotion of the value of joint management to Park visitors and the tourism industry to increase understanding of the way Park related decisions are made
Aim
• to continue developing and promoting the concept and practice of working together through joint management at all levels, and in all aspects of Park management and operations, through participatory consultation, employment, training, planning and action
• Promoting joint management. Parks Australia, Anangu, the Board of Management and the Office for Joint Management will work together to promote joint management to visitors, the media and the tourism industry to increase understanding of the way Park related decisions are made.
• Training. Piranpa and Anangu Park staff, Community staff and other people employed in the Park will receive training in cross-cultural awareness to further enhance joint management in the Park. The Office for Joint Management and the Park’s training officer will coordinate this training.
• Parks Australia and the Office for Joint Management will work together with senior Nguraritja to facilitate the employment and training of Anangu in Park management through culturally responsive and flexible work and training arrangements.
• Participatory methods. Parks Australia and the Office for Joint Management will use participatory methods of consultation and planning with those having an interest in the Park. There are many participatory methods available which provide a ‘toolbox’ for consultation. The joint management partners will remain open to learning and applying improved methods for consultation and negotiation.
• Park Consultation Policy. Parks Australia North, the Office for Joint Management and the Central Land Council will, within the first 12 months of this plan coming into effect, develop a clear, well defined consultative procedure for all development proposals in the Park.
• Meetings and communication. Informal meetings between the Office for Joint Management and Parks Australia will continue on a weekly basis. Office for Joint Management staff will continue to attend the monthly meetings of senior Parks Australia staff. Staff in the Park will work together to maintain positive communication links. Integrity, trust, respect, and clear and regular communication are essential for all people involved in joint management.
3.5 Consultative groups
In managing Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park decisions must be made about a wide range of matters at many levels.
• The Plan of Management provides overall policy direction and guidelines for management of the Park.
• The Board of Management makes policy decisions consistent with the Plan on a continuing basis.
• Parks Australia staff make day-to-day management decisions in accordance with the National Parks and Wildlife Conser vation Act 1975, the Plan of Management, Board decisions, consultation with Nguraritja within approved guidelines, and consultation with other stakeholders as necessary.
Parks Australia, the Office for Joint Management and the Central Land Council are responsible for advising the Board of Management on a wide range of matters. As such they will need to consult with Nguraritja and other interested parties. They are required to advise the Board of the level of consultation carried out and the views expressed. Written records will continue to be kept of all Board decisions and the reasons for those decisions.
Due to the wide range of agencies and individuals with interests in Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, consultative committees will be established to provide the following:
• arrangements for exchanging views and maintaining good working relationships between stakeholders and the joint management partners;
• a means of ensuring that the opinions of interested parties and experts are considered by the Board and Parks Australia, so that decision making is well informed;
• sounding boards for proposals, developments and problems related to the Park;
• regional representation, to enhance understanding and cooperation between organisations with regional interests.
Terms of reference and the extent and nature of Board involvement in the following committees and groups will be determined and periodically reviewed by the Board.
The Tourism Consultative Committee
During the term of the third Plan of Management, a Tourism Consultative Committee provided a forum for discussion of tourism matters relating to the Park. Members of the Board of Management are currently members of the Committee and provide a link between Committee and the Board. Ways of improving dialogue between such a Committee and the Parks traditional owners will be developed, and the committee will be encouraged to continue to function effectively.
The Scientific Consultative Committee
The Scientific Consultative Committee will provide for increased coordination and liaison between agencies with responsibility for land management in the region. The Committee will help the Board of Management and Parks Australia fulfil their responsibility for taking a regional approach to management, as required under natural and cultural listing as a World Heritage area. Further, the Committee will help to meet the regional ecological management obligations the Park has under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere program. The Committee will be made up of Anangu and other individuals who have expertise in scientific research and survey relevant to Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park. The Board of Management’s arid zone ecologist will provide a link between the Committee and the Board. The effectiveness of the regional focus of this Committee will depend on the support of neighbouring landholders and the Central Land Council.
The Cultural Centre Steering Committee
The Cultural Centre is a focus for interpreting the Park’s cultural and natural values and for Anangu owned enterprises. There is a continuing need to improve the Centre’s viability and to facilitate greater Anangu control of its functions. To this end a Cultural Centre Steering Committee will be established, comprising male and female representatives of each organisation operating from the Centre. A Board member familiar with the tourism industry will sit on the Committee and provide the link between the Committee and the Board. The Committee will have a majority of Anangu.
The Employment, Education and Training Commitee
The Mutitjulu Community Inc. has established the Employment, Education and Training Committee, consisting of the Park Training Officer, a representative of the Office for Joint Management, Mutitjulu Community Inc. governing committee members, relevant Community staff and other
specialist members of employment and training government agencies like TAFE and DEETYA. The Committee will facilitate the coordination, liaison, development and oversight all employment, education and training strategies in the Park.
Under the Act, the Board of Management makes decisions consistent with the Plan of Management, monitors (jointly with the Director of National Parks and Wildlife) the management of the Park, and gives advice (jointly with the Director) on all aspects of the Park’s future development. The Director has responsibility for day-to-day management of the Park, in accordance with the Plan of Management.
3.6.1 Operational and business planning
Annual operational and business plans will be prepared (within a three year framework) for implementation of the actions prescribed by the Plan of Management and related decisions of the Board of Management. The plans need to allow flexibility for day-to-day contingencies.
These plans will be prepared by Parks Australia in conjunction with the Office for Joint Management, and will be presented to the Board of Management for approval.
3.6.2 Monitoring and technical audits
An annual report about the implementation of actions described in this Plan of Management will be presented to the Board by the Director of National Parks and Wildlife.
Towards the end of the term of this Plan, the Board and the Director will commission an independent technical audit of the Plan, with the following terms of reference:
(a) to consider each prescribed management action and determine whether or not it was carried out;
(b) to evaluate the performance of each prescribed action in relation to the objective or objectives it was intended to serve;
(c) in the case of any prescribed action that was not implemented, or that failed to achieve the desired outcome, to determine the cause;
(d) to present the results of (a), (b) and (c) to the Board, together with an overall assessment of Plan delivery in relation to its objectives;
(e) in the light of the Plan’s performance, to recommend, through the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, to the Minister any changes to the objectives and prescribed actions that should be considered during the preparation of the next Plan of Management.
The technical audit will also contribute to the conservation of the Park’s World Heritage attributes. Monitoring of the Plan’s implementation will be carried out in accordance with the mechanisms stated in the operational guidelines for implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
[My picture shows two children with their mother and father sitting down in their camp with a windbreak sheltering them. In the centre they are eating meat. They have learnt from their mothers and grandmothers.
They have learnt about bush foods-where to find them and how country is looked after. They travel around collecting foods in the areas cleared by fire and they sit close to the fire in the shelter to eat.