The relationship between Parks Australia and Traditional Owners appears to be in dire straits. 

Indigenous Australians have “almost complete lack of trust in Parks Australia”, according to a new report. 

The report from an advisory group co-chaired by former Liberal senator Amanda Vanstone and Northern Land Council chief Joe Martin-Jard has described the relationship between Traditional Owners and the agency as having “deteriorated to a deplorable state”. 

“There has been a systemic failure in Canberra to truly appreciate both the reality of Traditional Owners’ legal ownership and the intrinsic value of local traditional knowledge and culture,” the advisory group’s report says. 

“Parks Australia has behaved not as a lessee but as the de facto titleholder … bureaucracy has spiralled out of control to kill common sense.” 

Traditional Owners and Parks Australia have joint oversight of the Kakadu National Park and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory, and Booderee National Park at Jervis Bay, NSW. 

In the report, the federal government is accused of failing to deliver funding commitments, stating that “infrastructure, roads and land management … have deteriorated rather than being enhanced”. 

It calls for Canberra-based jobs to be moved to a location closer to the parks they oversee. The advisory group says this would assist the bureaucracy in understanding the practicalities and efforts required for improvement. 

“The public service often operates in silos and this does not make for a complete understanding of what response is required of government,” the report finds. 

The report makes 24 recommendations including cultural change at Parks Australia to ensure recognition of Indigenous ownership of the parks. 

It also calls for Traditional Owners to lead new, locally-tailored cultural protocols that would guide the behaviour of all staff and businesses working in parks. It recommends new positions be created including cultural engagement officers and cultural coordinators in each park. 

Only Traditional Owners can explain traditional lore and culture to visitors, the report says. They are also the only ones who can fully understand the importance of sacred sites, and are leaders in land management practices including fire and pest control.

“Traditional Owners are concerned that younger generations don’t see opportunities for work on Country and that valuable traditional lore and practice will be lost,” the report says. 

“Lack of appreciation of the importance of local traditional knowledge, ineffective training, and thoughtless job design and recruitment practices have meant Traditional Owners are too often excluded.” 

Environment Sussan Ley has thanked the advisory group for its “unapologetically stark” assessment.

She says new investments will be made in Indigenous employment. 

“At the heart of that process is the trust between Traditional Owners and Parks Australia, strengthening respect for culture and customs, and the participation of Indigenous Australians in leading the management of their Country,” Ms Ley said. 

“I will work through the recommendations with the Traditional Owners and Parks Australia but have already asked Parks Australia to implement further measures to improve joint management, and to undertake major analysis to identify options for modernising parks business.”