WIN FOR KAKADU
Sco Mo and Shorten pledge $220m to save national park Announcement two months after our campaign launch Roads, visitor centre and tourism master plan to be funded
THE Northern Territory has emerged the big winner of a scrappy game of one-upmanship between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
The Sunday Territorian can exclusively reveal both major parties have pledged to support a $220 million rescue package to breathe life back into Jabiru and Kakadu National Park.
Their commitment comes only two months after the NT News and Sunday Territorian launched a campaign to “Save Kakadu”.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was scheduled to announce his support for the plan tomorrow. But that was pushed forward when word reached the Labor camp that Mr Morrison planned to gazump the Opposition Leader with his own announcement today.
Mr Shorten’s office was keen to point out his visit was “long planned”. The Sunday Territorian understands Mr Morrison’s office informed Traditional Owners of his visit yesterday morning.
It’s expected the cashstrapped NT Government will scrounge together a contribution but won’t immediately match the $220 million pledged. The Gunner Government last year pledged to continue to provide essential services – such as electricity, water and sewage infrastruc- ture – and education and health services to Jabiru at current levels for the next five years, past the closure of the Ranger mine.
The duelling funding pledges come five months after the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation and the NT Government revealed a $446 million masterplan to redevelop Jabiru and revitalise Kakadu.
Their blueprint from Jabiru’s Mirarr Traditional Owners, designed to transform the town from a service hub for the uranium mining industry to a tourism-focused regional centre, included a plan to remove crocodiles from the lake, and the development of a five-star lodge and luxury “glamping” facilities. Mr Morrison said the upgrades would “future proof” Jabiru, which faced an uncertain road ahead with the closure of the Ranger uranium mine in 2021.
“We want to ensure Kakadu and Jabiru and all the families and jobs they support are set for the future,” he said. “Better services and infrastructure for Kakadu will mean more visitors and that means more jobs not just for Jabiru, but for the whole Territory.”
Mr Shorten said Kakadu was a natural wonder and should be preserved for future generations. “As a father, I want my children to take their children to this stunning piece
“... more visitors and that means more jobs” SCOTT MORRISON
of our country,” he said. “I know there’s been a great deal of work done by the NT Government to improve tourism in Kakadu and help Jabiru transition from mining to tourism.”
Both parties’ plans include major improvements to Kakadu’s road network. Labor’s plan would allow for yearround use of Jim Jim Falls Access Rd, Gimbat Rd and Gunlom Falls and Maguk Gorge access roads. Details of which roads would be upgraded under the Coalition’s plan weren’t available.
Both plans will also include upgrades of walking paths, camping grounds signage, the construction of a new visitor centre in Jabiru and asbestos remediation work.
Visitor numbers to Kakadu have dwindled from 300,000 a year in the 1980s to about 185,000 a year today. The number of international tourists has plummeted from almost 150,000 a year to just 30,000 in the same period.