Concerns essential services and supplies for Kakadu and West Arnhem communities would dwindle once the region's remote airport was demolished have eased.
Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) — which represents Mirarr Traditional Owners of parts of Kakadu and Western Arnhem Land — said its takeover of tiny Jabiru Airport would ensure critical services remained available across the region.
Essential medical services and transport infrastructure will remain available to the region following months of uncertainty when the airport's previous owner, Rio Tinto, said it would be demolished in line with its Federal rehabilitation agreement.
Jabiru Airport was part of the lease area for Rio Tinto's Ranger uranium mine, which closed in 2021 after 40 years of operations, leaving the multinational's costs to rehabilitate the mine surrounded by Kakadu National Park upwards of $2 billion.
GAC chief executive officer, Jessie Schaecken, said the organisation would collaborate with stakeholders over who would operate the airport and ensure easy transition with minimal impact on existing airstrip users.
"This decision represents another significant step for Mirarr towards regaining full control over their Country at Range," she said.
"The Jabiru Airport is an essential service for the Kakadu region and beyond... people can rest assured it will continue to serve tourists and businesses as well as the many communities who visit Jabiru for cultural, medical and family reasons."
Northern Territory member for Arafura, Manuel Brown, previously said tourism operators, local councils, ranger groups, Traditional Owners and the Northern Land Council all expressed concerns over Jabiru's impending closure after Rio Tinto's announcement.
"Communities such as Warruwi, Gunbalanya, Kabulwarnamyo, Manmoyi in the rock country and Mamadawerre, rely on the airport as their only source — and the cheaper option — to bring out food, medication and to fuel up at the Jabiru Airport when on the way to Darwin," he told state parliament in February.
"Without reliable air access, there will be no guaranteed supply of fresh food, no timely access to medical treatment and no emergency evacuation capability except that from Darwin."
Besides servicing tourism operators and other business across the region, the tiny airport was the lifeline for transport, medical services, essential supplies and basic necessities.
The Federal Government promised $216 million to grow tourism in Kakadu and support Jabiru's transition to a tourism-based economy after Rio Tinto announced the Ranger mine closure earlier this year.
Kakadu National Park's status as a World Heritage Area and recognition under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act created dual compliance requirements that shape rehabilitation protocols.
The Ranger mine site sits within the park's 19,804 square kilometre area, which contains diverse wetlands and Aboriginal rock art sites more than 20,000 years old.
