Outcry over Pirltawardli protection and LIV plans
Indigenous elders and native title holders in South Australia say they are distressed as the state weighs upgrading the North Adelaide golf course to host the Saudi-backed LIV tournament from 2028. The plan requires expanding the course, which would involve tearing up parts of the greens—despite warnings that there is a high probability of burial sites located about 1.5 metres beneath the surface.
The site at issue, Pirltawardli, is a substantial ceremonial precinct once used as a gathering place by the Kaurna people. Government documents describe Pirltawardli as central to the history of South Australian race relations and as home to an Indigenous language school, a colonial store, and the first Christian mission in the state.
Why Pirltawardli matters to the Kaurna people
For Kaurna custodian groups, Pirltawardli is more than an archaeological site—it is a living cultural landscape integral to memory, identity, and ongoing stewardship. Indigenous leaders say disturbing such a site would be a wound to a community that has already faced the forced removal of more than 1,500 ancestors from riverbank burial places in the past. They emphasise the need for dignity and respect in the handling and reburial of ancestral remains when possible.
Mitzi Nam, chair of the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, described the situation as distressing. She said there had been no formal consultation about the site’s disturbance under the Heritage Act and warned that the land’s deep meaning for Kaurna people goes well beyond development economics. “We know there’s a need for development, but there should be more compassion about what this land means to us,” she said.
Voices from Elders and Scholars
Lynette Crocker, chair of the Kaurna Nation Cultural Heritage Association, called the proposal sickening, noting that more than 1,500 ancestors have already been displaced from burial sites along the River Torrens and rehoused in museums. “If you don’t do anything else for Kaurna people, return their ancient ones to where they come from,” she urged, arguing the community’s spiritual ties to Pirltawardli are being ignored.
Susan Dixon, another Kaurna custodian and member of South Australia’s First Nations voice to parliament, expressed disappointment that the proposal would put the site at risk. “Our cultural footprint is in that site. We wouldn’t knock down Adelaide’s cathedral. We need to honour this parkland,” she said, urging the government to treat heritage with the same reverence afforded to other sacred places.
Dr Jenni Caruso, an Eastern Arrernte scholar at Adelaide University who has studied Pirltawardli, warned against any disturbance. “They should not be doing it in any way, shape or form. It is the foundations of this state that are being disturbed,” she remarked, highlighting the broader risk to collective memory when past injustices are re-framed as mere development opportunities.
Legal and procedural context
The government stresses that there has been consultation with tradition owners and the Indigenous community about the application, including a public meeting, and that the submission deadline has been extended to gather more feedback. Yet the Heritage Act requires ministerial permission to disturb sensitive sites, and officials acknowledge that bones “cannot be avoided” in the plan, with archaeologists to handle remains where necessary. A spokesperson said a review is underway, and a decision will follow the completed report.
Economic arguments and reconciliation considerations
Proponents of the LIV tournament point to potential economic benefits, including an estimated $81 million injection into the state economy and 86,000 visitor nights in 2025, according to Vision Insights. The City of Adelaide’s reconciliation council has urged that any redevelopment safeguard Pirltawardli and be interpreted in ways that support cultural continuity and broader public understanding of Kaurna custodianship.
The debate thus sits at a crossroads between economic development and the moral obligation to protect living cultures and burial places. While supporters argue for the value of bringing major events to Adelaide, Indigenous leaders insist that heritage must come first, and that development should not proceed at the expense of sacred land and ancestral memory.
What happens next
With consultation reportedly closed and a decision pending, the government faces a delicate path: address the concerns of Kaurna custodians, adhere to legal protections, and still pursue a project deemed economically beneficial. The outcome will shape not only the future of Pirltawardli but also the broader relationship between the South Australian government, Indigenous communities, and major international sporting events.
