Portfolio Media

Closing Uluru - approach with caution

08 July 2009

A proposal to close Australia’s most iconic tourist attraction, the Uluru Walk, would be tantamount to shutting the Red Centre for business, Shadow Tourism Minister Steven Ciobo said.

Mr Ciobo’s comments follow today’s release by the Director of National Parks of a draft Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park Management Plan, recommending a ban on the climb for cultural and environmental reasons.

But Mr Ciobo said any closure needed to be approached with caution and forward planning.

Mr Ciobo said it was vital that the plan did not send a message to the world that Australia’s Top End and Red Centre are a no-go zone for tourism – the Northern Territory’s biggest industry and biggest employer.

“The fact is that Uluru is Australia’s most iconic attraction. If the Labor Government does decide to shut the walk to visitors after its consultation with the tourism industry and local interests, it is vital it develops other tourism attractions in the region to keep people visiting it,” Mr Ciobo said.

“Of the 350,000 people that come to Uluru each year, about half of them are from overseas. Tourist numbers already fell by 7.5 per cent in 2008 – a sudden closure of the Uluru Walk would be the last thing the region needs.”

Mr Ciobo said the tourism industry had to have its voice heard in this matter and particularly the voice of tourism operators and stakeholders in central Australia.

“At a time when tourism operators are battered by falling overseas visitor numbers, and the aviation sector is fighting its biggest battle in recent memory, a proposal to close one of the country’s greatest tourist activities would have to be done carefully and thoughtfully.”

In the meantime, Mr Ciobo advocated the current situation of letting visitors decide for themselves whether or not they climb Uluru, rather than by some nanny-state dictate.

“Until we have a decision on this, why not simply let visitors decide if they wish to follow the indigenous people’s request not to climb Uluru" Let them consider all the information about the cultural sensitivities and physical risks, and not have Mr Garrett tell them what to do?”