
Traditional owners of the Northern Territory's Watarrka National Park - which includes popular tourist spot Kings Canyon - have scored a landmark victory against a mining company that had sought to explore for oil and gas in the area.

The territory's Minister for Mines and Energy David Tollner on Tuesday rejected Palatine Energy's application to search for oil and gas in the national park which is under the custodianship of the Martutjarra-Luritja people.

Environmental Defenders Office Northern Territory principal lawyer David Morris confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the bid had been rejected.

Traditional owners in the Northern Territory want federal Environment Minister Greg to impose an emergency heritage listing for Watarrka National Park

Traditional Aboriginal owners of Watarrka (from left to right) - Julie Clyne, Bessie Liddle, actor Michael Caton and Kevin Ungwanaka outside Parliament House in Canberra

The traditional owners of Watarrka National Park have appealed to Mr Hunt to protect the park from mining company Palatine Energy

Palatine Energy wanted to explore for oil and gas in Watarrka National Park which has three Aboriginal living areas - Lila, Wanmarra and Ulpanyali

Watarrka National Park in the Northern Territory has cultural significance to Aboriginal people and is home to numerous native animals

Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park is one of Central Australia's premier tourist locations, along with Uluru and Katajuta, and has around 230,000 visitors a year

'We understand the application has been denied,' he said. 'They [the traditional owners] are elated. They’re very, very happy and relieved. It’s been a long time coming.'

In a bid to protect the park, traditional owners of the land travelled to Canberra on Tuesday to appeal to federal Environment Minister Greg.

The traditional owners wanted Mr Hunt to impose an emergency heritage listing for the park, protecting the area from the oil and gas exploration bid by company Palatine Energy, the ABC reported.

About 30 traditional owners filed two applications with Mr Hunt - the first to protect the park from Palatine Energy's exploration bid and the second to secure a permanent declaration to protect the area from all mining in the future, the Guardian reported.

'I travel from Kings Canyon, Watarrka. I come here today with a message to say no to mining and to fracking,' traditional owner Julie Clyne said outside Parliament House where the traditional owners had met with Mr Hunt.

For the traditional owners living in the remote indigenous communities of Ulpanyali and Lilla in Watarrka National Park, the exploration of oil and gas puts their traditional way of life in jeopardy

The Gill Ranges support a series of permanent waterholes that are sacred to the Lurjita people and have guaranteed a reliable source of fresh water, even through times of severe drought, for tens of thousands of years

Palantine Energy applied to the Northern Territory's government to use 'unconventional' methods in their search for oil and gas within the boundaries of the park

Traditional owners of Watarrka National Park travelled to Canberra where they met with Mr Hunt on Tuesday to discuss Palatine Energy's bid to explore for oil and gas in the park

Palatine Energy managing director David Falvey said some traditional owners were in favour of oil exploration in the area

'We'd like him to step up and help us,' Ms Clyne said.

Mr Morris told Daily Mail Australia it remained to be seen what Mr Hunt's response to the second application would be, adding, 'We have a very strong application.'

Palatine Energy had submitted a bid to the territory government to explore for oil and gas across some 1,000 kilometres of the national park,The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The exploration would have included fracking - a drilling process - which could threaten water supplies, according to opponents of the application.

The traditional owners were not in a legal position to veto the application.

An otherwise little known energy company by the name of company Palatine Energy had applied to search for oil and gas in Watarrka National Park in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory's Minister for Mines and Energy David Tollner on Tuesday rejected Palatine Energy's application to search for oil and gas in the national park

Opponents of Palatine Energy's application said opening the area to mining companies would threaten the traditional way of life of the Aboriginal people

Watarrka National Park in the Northern Territory has three Aboriginal living areas: Lila, Wanmarra and Ulpanyali. It is a top tourist spot in Central Australia

A traditional way of life for Aboriginal people had been under threat by an oil and gas application by mining company Palatine Energy

Palatine Energy had submitted an application to the Northern Territory to search for oil and gas in Watarrka National Park, which is home to Kings Canyon

Traditional owners living in remote indigenous communities of Ulpanyali and Lilla had feared their way of life would be destroyed

Mr Morris earlier said if the exploration went ahead, parts of the park could be damaged spiritually and environmentally.

'We met for about half an hour and it was a good meeting. He listened to the traditional owners,' Mr Morris said of the meeting in Parliament House.

'Since 2012, when that application was first made aware of to the Land Council, traditional owners have consistently expressed their opposition to all kinds of oil and gas development in the park,' he said.

'It raises serious questions about whether resource extraction is compatible with the conservation values of national parks in this country.'

Palatine Energy managing director David Falvey had said his company would apply exclusion zones and it would not operate near special conservation areas, the Canyon fringe or tourist areas.

He said several traditional owners were in favour of oil exploration in the area, the ABC reported.

There had been concerns that Palatine Energy's application, if successful, would have threatened the park's water supplies as well as native animals and some 600 species of plants

Palatine Energy had submitted an application to the territory government to explore for oil and gas across some 1,000 kilometres of the national park

'They [the traditional owners] are elated. They’re very, very happy and relieved. It’s been a long time coming,' Environmental Defenders Office Northern Territory principal lawyer David Morris said

About 30 traditional owners of Watarrka National Park had travelled to Canberra to appeal to Mr Hunt to protect the park from future mining

The way of life of traditional owners of Watarrka National Park in the Northern Territory had been under threat by an application to look for oil and gas in the park

Mr Tollner's decision to reject the application by Palatine Energy to search for oil and gas in Watarrka National Park has been received with happiness and relief by the park's traditional owners

The traditional owners are still waiting on a decision by Mr Hunt on their second application which seeks to protect the park from all future mining

'They've expressed to me that they want to see the opportunity of jobs, they want a possibility of royalty payments and they want to give their kids educational opportunities,' Dr Falvey said.

The area, covering 105,200 hectares of land, has three Aboriginal living areas - Lila, Wanmarra and Ulpanyali - and is under the custodianship of the Martutjarra-Luritja people, the Guardian reported.

It has more than 600 species of plants and is home to native animals.

The Watarrka National Park also has cultural significance to Aboriginal people and is a place where traditional customs and ceremonies are observed.

The area covers 105,200 hectares of land and has three Aboriginal living areas. It is also home to native animals and about 600 species of plants

Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said any application for heritage protection of the park would be 'carefully considered'