Indigenous landowners want protection from mining: Watarrka national park

Watarrka national park's Indigenous owners will petition environment minister over an existing fracking exploration licence and future mining 'of all kinds'

" The Indigenous way of life in the outback at risk from fracking - in pictures

Traditional owners of the land encompassing King's Canyon in Australia's central desert are petitioning the federal environment minister, Greg Hunt, to guarantee their protection against mining operations.

Under Northern Territory legislation, the Watarrka national park has no real protection from oil and gas exploration or mining operations, according to David Morris, the principal lawyer of the NT Environmental Defenders Office (EDO).