Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L01354:body:0:p4
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L01354
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 10999–13712

Community-ngka wirkaṟa ngaripai.
  © Rene Kulitja

  We're happy with visitors coming to our country—they've been coming here for a very long time. Our first experience with the tourists was when they were actually coming and staying inside the community.

  On 24 May 1977, the Park became the first area to be declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (Cth) which was superseded by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (Cth). The Park was originally  named  Uluṟu  (Ayers  Rock–Mount Olga) National Park, and was declared over an area of 132,550 hectares to a subsoil to a depth of 1,000 metres (this was amended in 1985 to include an additional 16 hectares of land). The Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission (the successor to the Northern Territory Reserves Board) carried out the day-to-day management of the Park.

  In February 1979, a claim was lodged under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) (the Land Rights Act) by the Central Land Council on behalf of Nguraṟitja, for an area of land that included the Park. At that time, the Aboriginal Land Commissioner did not recommend the land claim be granted as the land had ceased to be unalienated Crown land upon its proclamation as a National Park. However, in 1983 the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke announced that the Park would be returned to its traditional owners on the condition that it was leased to the then Director of National Parks and Wildlife to be managed as a National Park. On 2 September 1985 the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act and the Land Rights Act were amended to put into place joint management of the Park between Nguraṟitja and the Director
  of National Parks and Wildlife. These amendments provided for the area of the Park to be granted as inalienable freehold land to the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust. The Land Trust immediately leased the Park to the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, to be managed under a Board of Management with an Aṉangu majority.

  At a major ceremony at the Park on 26 October 1985, the Governor-General formally granted title to the Park to the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust. The inaugural Board of Management was gazetted on 10 December 1985 and held its first meeting on 22 April 1986. In the same year, arrangements with the Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission that had been in place since 1977 ceased, and since that time staff of the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service (now Parks Australia), have carried out the
  day-to-day management of the Park. In 1993, at the request of Aṉangu and the Board of Management, the Park's official name was changed