Welcome back good to have your company this Friday morning now here's something
we haven't seen before these images yesterday at Uluru where
hundreds of visitors lined up to climb the iconic landmark while they can it
has drawn comparisons to recent scenes on Mount Everest and large queues are
expected again today before a ban on the climb officially takes effect tomorrow
out of respect to local indigenous people who deem Uluru sacred it's a
decision that's divided opinion so to discuss it we're joined by Senator Malarndirri
McCarthy from Canberra and 2GB and 4BC's Ben Fordham good morning
Welcome to you both. Malarndirri if I could begin with you how does
that make you feel seeing those images
from yesterday in recent days where people have really scrambled to get
there to climb the rock? Malarndirri: Look it's
certainly not a surprise Georgie we've seen
that perhaps over the last month or months really and I think like anything
that's coming to an end there's always a desire to want to touch and feel but
from my personal perspective you know as a Yanyuwa Garrwa woman I remember
when the rock was handed back to the Anangu people and I was only a teenage
girl at the time and I'm feeling enormously proud of them, I feel that
they've been able to display the importance of Anangu story and culture
and kujika and I just think that you know it's going to be a momentous day
for the people who actually live and and surround that very spiritual place.
Georgie: I feel very blessed having been to Uluru myself, have been a couple of of
times and until you actually see it for yourself you can't really understand how
extraordinary it is it's just very much it is just the most beautiful
spiritual place absolutely and Ben obviously there are some who are
suggesting that this is not the way to go that it should be this tourist icon
and people should be allowed to climb it. Ben: Well I think it's a natural thing that
if you put a put a rock or a mountain in front of man or woman that man or woman
is going to be fascinated with what's at the top of it and I've never climbed it
I've never been to Uluru which is a massive regret of mine.
Georgie: It's not too late
Ben: I know it's not too like I know you've
climbed it as a as a young person so I'd be interested to know what
it's like when you when you get to the top of it but some of the some
of the commentary around the people who are choosing to do it now I've seen you
know headlines around white privilege and things like that I think that's a
little bit unfair I think it's more than a little bit unfair when you consider
that there is a history here of people climbing this rock. There's now been a
democratic process involving the parks council that's deemed that it's no
longer to be climbed and I think we need to respect that democratic process but
equally I don't think it's a reasonable thing to shame people for doing
something that's happened for thousands of years and the Senator will know
better than better than I do but I gather was first done by Indigenous
Australians but you tell me Georgie what was it like going to the top
Georgie: It was extraordinary. I did it as a 16 year old
and at that stage there wasn't a lot of
this sort of discussion well in fact there wasn't as far as I knew there was
no discussion about it but absolutely now if I was to go I certainly wouldn't
4 clam it but I'm there's a part of me
that's really thrilled that I did have
the experience because it is mind blowing and the view from the top was
was amazing but what I remember-- Malrndirri: But Georgie you
shouldn't feel ashamed of it I mean
seriously there are so many Australians and people from around the world who
have done that and that's been the generosity of the Anangu over decades
and I think really it's you know this is more about the coming together I think
in Australia that we are acknowledging the importance of First Nations
people in our place in our history here in this country but around the world and
I think certainly when people gather together at Uluru for the closing of the
climb ceremony it will be deeply spiritual and significant I think
Ben: I think Pauline Hanson's visit was probably a
bit of a line in the sand moment as well and that I didn't appreciate how
difficult the climb was and
so when I'd read things about the number of people have passed away on the rock
from falling or having accidents that seemed like a statistic on a piece of
paper and then you have a look at had clearly a very difficult challenge that
Pauline Hanson undertook and couldn't manage to do it end up sliding back down
on her backside that probably rammed home that message about danger as well.
Georgie: Yeah and take into effect its sorry take into
consideration today when people are
doing that last scramble to try and get to the top I think temperatures are
forecast around 40 degrees there today.
Malarndirri: Well it's already 34 degrees there now
Georgia it's 5 a.m. in the morning so that gives an indication and safety has
always been a real critical concern too -
Georgie: Absolutely, absolutely