- Jacinta Nampijinpa Price criticized the ban
- Proposal to restrict recreational access to Lake Eyre
- READ MORE: Travelers will be banned from Australia’s largest lake
Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has criticized a controversial proposal to ban visitors to Australia’s largest lake to protect its cultural significance.
Thousands of tourists flock to Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, in the far north of South Australia, every few years, when the outback destination is transformed into a spectacular kaleidoscope of colors and an oasis of flowers and birds after the Queensland floods.
It is also a sacred place for the Arabana people, who have lived in the region for millennia and are the holders of native title to the lake.
Under a proposed management plan, all recreational access to the lakebed will be prohibited out of respect for Araban culture.
Swimming, driving, boating and landing planes on the lake are already prohibited, but the new plan would prevent visitors from setting foot on its bed without permission.
Senator Price joined growing groups of critics criticizing the move, claiming indigenous culture had become the “new religion” and Australia was rapidly “locking down” tourist hotspots across the country.
Thousands of tourists flock to Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in South Australia’s northern tip every few years as the outback destination transforms into a spectacular kaleidoscope of color and oasis of flowers and birds after the Queensland floods.
The shadow minister for Indigenous affairs is worried another of Australia’s natural wonders will soon be out of reach.
She believes Australia is shooting itself in the foot by banning tourists.
“It’s worrying and, as I understand it, it was originally raised as a safety issue because during dry times the salt is quite strong,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Wednesday.
“I thought you could warn the visitors.”
‘There’s this trend across our country to close the place down so visitors can’t see our own backyard.
“I think we need to get to the point of understanding that we all belong here as Australians, we all belong in this country, we all have a meaningful connection to this country, especially if we were born here, regardless of our racial heritage.
‘We are shooting ourselves in the foot if we continue down this path where we are going to limit access to the potential of tourism, growth and all the other things.
“I think Australians should be able to appreciate our own country without this continuing trend happening.”
The lake proposal has sparked a divided reaction among Indigenous Australians, including Senator Nampijinpa Price.
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is one of several culturally significant sites in South Africa that impose strict rules on visitor entry, including the Koonalda Caves in the Nullarbor, the Sacred Canyon in the Ikara-Flinders Ranges and the Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park.
Comments on the proposed management plan are open to the public until July 19 via the South African Department of Environment and Water website.