Recently incorporated Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation Jabiru Town (GACJT) is preparing to take on the new township lease for the former mining town of Jabiru. The granting of the lease and the recognition of Aboriginal land rights in Jabiru is a key plank of the agreement signed by both the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments in 2019 to secure the future of the town. The Memorandum of Understanding on the Future of Jabiru and Kakadu was also signed by Energy Resources of Australia Ltd (ERA) and by the Mirarr Traditional Owners.
Chairperson, Ruth Gamarrawu, announced the appointment of Interim Chief Executive Officer Kira Lammey. Ms Lammey has been appointed for a period of 6 months while the permanent position is advertised. “Kira brings extensive experience in commercial and land law. I am very pleased that we have been able to attract someone of Kira’s calibre to assist the corporation and the Mirarr Traditional Owners in the lead up to the transition of Jabiru to Aboriginal land”, Ms Gamarrawu said.
The corporation has confirmed the allocation of the site for the new Jabiru power station, the Jabiru Hybrid Renewable Project. The Northern Territory has provided the funding for the project and announced EDL as the successful tenderer. Power at Jabiru has previously been supplied from the Ranger Uranium Mine operated by ERA. As all operations have now ceased at Ranger, this decision and funding from the Northern Territory made with the support of the corporation is critical to the future of the town.
“This is a vote of confidence that the Mirarr are working with government on the important planning process to ensure a smooth transition”, Ms Gamarrawu said.
GACJT has also approved Aurora Kakadu Lodge and Caravan Park to be allocated its existing site so that it can continue to provide a range of tourist accommodation options and facilities. Aurora Kakadu Lodge is one of the main long-term tourism operators in Jabiru and has been a valued partner working with respect for traditional owners in Jabiru and Kakadu for the past 21 years.
The corporation has been established under the leadership of three senior Mirarr Traditional Owner directors working with Greg Roche, a former Executive Director of Township Leasing who has extensive experience in the administration of township leases in the NT and lawyer Susan O’Sullivan. The Board has been meeting regularly as it prepares to enter into the township lease with the Kakadu Aboriginal Land Trust and the Northern Land Council.
Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation Jabiru Town extends its thanks to the Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, The Hon. Ken Wyatt MP, for his support of this historic milestone in the history of Northern Territory land rights. The Mirarr Traditional Owners were denied land rights in the town of Jabiru when the rest of Kakadu and the Ranger project area was made Aboriginal land. The grant to the Kakadu Aboriginal Land Trust will follow the signing of the township lease, the entry into which was supported by the Northern Land Council in December 2020. This corrects an act of dispossession which occurred forty years ago. GACJT and the Mirarr Traditional Owners can now look forward to continuing to work closely with the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments and the Northern Land Council to realise the long-standing aspirations that the Mirarr Traditional Owners set out in the Jabiru Masterplan.
Media Contact:
Kira Lammey – Interim CEO
Ph: 0423 312 435 | Email: kira@gacjabiru.com.au