Private investment to be sought for resorts in Northern Territory national parks

Privately owned and operated resort-style accommodation may be built in Northern Territory parks.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles says his administration is considering opening Government-owned parks to privately owned and operated resort-style accommodation.

Chief Minister Giles made the admission after former Darwin lord mayor Graeme Sawyer called on the Government to come clean about any plans to privatise assets controlled by the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the NT (PWCNT).

Sawyer, the coordinator of environment group Frogwatch, says he believes the Government is either trying to dump properties that are costing it money or trying to raise revenue by selling assets owned by the public.

Sawyer told the ABC that he believes that the Government is preparing expressions of interest documents that could include the Territory Wildlife Park, the Alice Springs Desert Park, Berry Springs Nature Reserve, Litchfield National Park and Window on the Wetlands.

Sawyer asked "are we going to end up with a thing like an exclusive resort built on one of the major features in a place like Litchfield where the rest of us can't go because some operator has got a licence over it?"

"Are we going to compromise the qualities and principles of a lot of these places in order to make a few bucks in the short term?"

Chief Minister Giles says the idea is in its early stages and he will not pre-empt the expression of interest but says he is open to building private accommodation in and around park assets.

He suggested "we could see someone who wants to build resort-style accommodation around the (Alice Springs) Desert Park."

Expression of interest documents are apparently being prepared and are expected to be released in the near future. 

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