Education and awareness is the key to making all Australians, including First Nation Australians, respect and treasure this country's wonderful and beautiful natural assets.
Locking the vast majority of Australians out of places like Cape York, The Kimberleys and Fraser Island, on the basis of some "inclusive reconciliation huuhaa", isn't.
For that to occur would, for all the wrong reasons, ignore the fact that just about every Australian who visits one of these "special places" is not going there to desecrate anything.
Yes, Native Title should give First Nation Australians certain rights as far as decreeing what activities are allowed or banned in national parks or other areas which falls under the umbrella of Native Title and allied legislation. That is not up for dispute.
However, it should and must never be used to stop everyone, holus bolus, from going to places like Lakefield National Park and Great Sandy National Park in Queensland.
There will always be an absolute minority of yobbos who go to places like these, typically driving 4-wheel drives and other "off road rigs", who don't give a stuff about the environment. They probably plan to lairarise around and leave tyre tracks where they shouldn't, and pinch native plants. You get my drift.
But why should the entire population basically be prohibited from entering these places because of the inanity and stupid actions of a scant few?
By all means, First Nation Australians in Native Title declared regions should hold the position of rangers. They should be strictly enforcing the rules and regulations set down for visitors to enter.
But First Nation Australians should not be pushing any notion or agenda to stop other Australians from coming to these places altogether, and for that matter, politicians as well.
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