‘No consultation’: Anger over MotoGP groundworks quietly starting in park lands
“We don’t want our heritage dug up.” Kaurna Native Title Holders claim they were not consulted before “ground-disturbing” works started in the Adelaide Park Lands ahead of major motor sport events.
Kaurna leaders have raised concerns they were not involved in a consultation process prior to preliminary groundwork taking place for next year’s MotoGP event.
The Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC), the group that leads the maintenance, protection, and promotion of Kaurna culture and cultural heritage, said Kaurna Native Title Holders were not consulted by the South Australian Motor Sport Board (SAMSB) before it contacted a third party to start ground-disturbing works.
The permits, issued by the Adelaide City Council, require the permit holder to conduct activities in accordance with the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988.
InDaily understands the permit is for geotechnical “site investigations” for the 2027 MotoGP event involving ground drilling to test soil in the Adelaide Park Lands.
When Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith asked why the site investigations were completed confidentially she was told by Motor Sport Board CEO Mark Warren it was to avoid raising concerns from the public.
At a recent meeting between the motor sports board and Kadaltilla, KYAC chairperson Tim Agius asked Warren if there had been any consultation with Native Title Holders before engaging in the works.
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“We don’t want our heritage dug up anymore – we’re over it,” Agius said.
“I’m only suggesting and recommending that during that design you check to make sure there’s no heritage there [in the Park Lands].”
Warren responded to Agius saying there were “consultants and advisers on Indigenous heritage and also European heritage”.
But Agius remained concerned that KYAC was not consulted and that appropriate Aboriginal Heritage Act processes were not adhered to before drilling started.
“We are concerned that ground-disturbing works were undertaken in the Park Lands without prior engagement with KYAC and without an archaeologist being engaged before drilling took place,” Agius said.
“Regardless of the scale of a project, activities that disturb the ground on Kaurna Country should be undertaken in a way that respects our heritage and involves the Traditional Owners from the outset.”
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The KYAC has asked to meet with both Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Szakacs and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher to discuss how similar situations can be avoided in the future.
A spokesperson for Minister Maher said “the government meets regularly with stakeholders and the Minister has a meeting scheduled with KYAC next week”.
It is the latest concern about developments in the Adelaide Park Lands following the felling of 585 trees in the North Adelaide Golf Course redevelopment.
Hundreds of protestors fearing further tree loss at the park lands were at Victoria Park on Saturday morning to tie yellow ribbons to trees during a rally against the MotoGP.
The MotoGP event will take place for the first time in November 2027 on a street circuit similar to a Formula One circuit used from 1985 to 1995 that is expected to be unveiled in July.
“When government agencies proceed without engaging with us, it undermines trust and creates the impression that Aboriginal Heritage considerations are an afterthought rather than a priority,” Agius said.
“It also places KYAC in a difficult position when our members and the wider community expect us to be aware of, and involved in, activities that may impact our Country.”
A Motor Sports Board spokesperson said: “The South Australian Motor Sport Board is grateful for the engagement we have had to date with the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation and look forward to strengthening that relationship as part of our ongoing consultation process and ensuring that all the requirements of the Aboriginal Heritage Act are met.”
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