Kakadu Board of Management
On 26 July 1989 a Board of Management with a majority of Aboriginal members was established for the park. The Board's functions are set out in the EPBC Act. They are:
- to prepare, along with the Director, plans of management for the park;
- to make decisions, consistent with the Management Plan, about the management of the park;
- to monitor, with the Director, the management of the park; and
- to give advice, along with the Director, to the Minister on all aspects of how the park develops in the future.
In making decisions about the management of the park, the Board is also responsible for determining the overall allocation of resources in the park and setting priorities to meet the actions in the Plan. The precise composition of the Board is defined in a notice published in accordance with the Act. At the time of writing, the Board has 15 members, ten of whom are appointed as representatives of the traditional owners of the park area. All members are appointed to the Board by the Australian Government Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.
The Bininj/Mungguy (Aboriginal) representation on the Board covers the geographic spread of Aboriginal people in the region as well as the major language groupings. At the time of writing, the other members of the Board are the Director of National Parks; the Assistant Secretary of Parks Australia North; a person prominent in nature conservation; a person employed in the tourism industry in the Northern Territory; and a representative of the Northern Territory. Candidates for appointment to the last three positions have to be acceptable to traditional owners.
At its first meeting the Board decided that its Chairperson should be appointed from the Aboriginal members of the Board. The Board aims for everyone to agree in reaching decisions but the Act also provides for making decisions by a system of voting.
