Simpson Desert Seized by Secrecy: CLC Takes Control Without Transparency

Nearly 50,000 square kilometres of Australia’s last frontier – the Simpson Desert – has been placed under the control of the Central Land Council (CLC), which operates outside the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act. The Indigenous Protected Area declared last week adds 47,311 square kilometres to Aboriginal land, now covering half of the Northern Territory. Critics say the CLC conducts its business in secrecy with no statutory FOI appeal or review channels. Tourism Central Australia CEO Danial Rochford said his organisation was not consulted. The new area falls under the CLC’s complex access permit system, and a one-way traffic flow has been mandated on significant sections of iconic tracks, reversing the preferred west-to-east direction chosen by most travellers. The CLC declined to answer questions about conditions.

Article and image source: alicespringsnews.com.au