Tourists need to respect the rules around taking photos of sacred Aboriginal sites at Uluru… but I don’t agree with everything

Warren Mundine has defended strict rules around photographing sacred Aboriginal sites, but claimed fining visitors was unnecessary.

The Indigenous leader weighed in on the topic after Aussie travel vlogger Britt Cromie and her husband Tim were told to remove their Uluru social media posts.

The couple had visited Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park three months ago, with Ms Cromie revealing that she and her husband were blindsided by an email outlining 20 possible offences linked to their YouTube video and Instagram posts.

The national park’s website states visitors must obtain a permit if they are shooting content for ‘commercial and public purposes’.

Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is considered culturally sensitive because it has spiritual significance for Aboriginal people in the area, known as the Anangu. 

The Cromies said they ‘weren’t aware’ they needed to apply for a permit before shooting footage, and were asked to remove particular sections of their content to avoid a fine.

Mundine told Daily Mail he was part of a team shooting footage on a recent Uluru trip and it ‘was made quite clear what the rules were’.

‘I’ve gone to Uluru and taken photos and filmed out there,’ he said.

‘But we did those things under permits and we had a cultural guide with us, making sure we didn’t take pictures of certain sites. 

‘I can understand the innocence of it and the mistake they’ve probably made. 

‘But, to us, it was made quite clear what the rules were. What angles we could take the photos at and making sure we didn’t take the wrong photos.’ 

Despite the restrictions, Mundine said the team ‘still captured the beauty of the rock’.

‘We then had our photos checked and our cameras afterwards to make sure we didn’t make some mistakes,’ he added.

Mundine said he ‘did not know’ whether the Cromies ‘were told’ about the rules, but said ‘a lot of people know the rules’, including tourist buses. 

‘It’s a bit naughty of them, but if it’s all innocent fun then I think they should take them down and make sure they know what the rules are in future,’ he said.

Mundine argued ‘whacking them with a heavy fine is going too far’ as long as they remove the culturally insensitive content. 

Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park’s website states a permit is required for ‘filming, taking photos, journalism, recording audio or artworks depicting Uluṟu or Kata Tjuṯa for commercial and public purposes (this includes social media influencers, content creators and bloggers)’. 

A photo permit costs $20 a day for commercial photography or $250 a day for filming. 

On top of that, all visitors are required to buy a park entry pass, priced at $38 per adult for a three-day visit. 

The Cromies applied for the permit after their trip, only to be told months later that large sections of their content breached the rules, despite already cutting out footage of sacred sites. 

Ms Cromie was told to edit their Uluru YouTube video substantially and delete several Instagram posts to avoid fines under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. 

The couple insisted they weren’t ‘whinging’ about having to delete their content, but wanted to warn others that what looks fine for Instagram may still breach cultural rules. 

‘Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa have a number of culturally sensitive sites,’ the Uluru website states.

‘The rock details and features at these sites are equivalent to sacred scripture for Aṉangu. They describe culturally important information and should only be viewed in their original location and by specific people.’

‘It is inappropriate for images of sensitive sites to be viewed elsewhere, so taking any photos of these places is prohibited.’