Arrernte Traditional Owners Protest at Pine Gap, Demand Land Return

Arrernte traditional owners in Central Australia have delivered a letter to the front gates of Pine Gap demanding the return of their land, during the biggest protest outside the secretive military base in decades.

Located in Alice Springs, Pine Gap is a joint Australian-US defence facility that gathers intelligence from a network of surveillance satellites around the globe, and has long attracted controversy over how its intelligence is used.

This afternoon about 300 people gathered near the front of the secretive spy base to raise their concerns over its role in US military operations, including many who had travelled to Alice Springs from across the country to take part.

The turnout made the rally — organised by a range of anti-war, pro-Palestinian and land rights activists — the largest at the site since 1987, when more than 1,000 demonstrators marched up to its gates.

NT Police set up a traffic stop a few kilometres from the site to check drivers and passengers' identifications before they were allowed to continue, and about 200 metres from the high-security gated entrance another police blockade stopped people from getting any closer on foot.

As the group moved in unison toward the police barricade, holding signs and flags, they called out a series of chants, including "shut it down", "close Pine Gap" and "always was, always will be Aboriginal land".

Among the protesters was New South Wales Greens senator David Shoebridge, who said he was concerned Pine Gap was a "foreign military base set up for the interests of a foreign military" which he believed was "lurching towards right wing politics, not respecting international law".

"We're letting them use our land, this key real estate, I think [to] commit some of the worst atrocities we've seen," he said.

"This is perhaps one of the most secure and peaceful places on the planet, except for the presence of Pine Gap, which brings danger into the heart of our country.

"US bases are targets and the US is quite happy to have their front line in other people's nations."

He also backed strong calls in the crowd for the land to be handed back to traditional owners.

When the group neared Pine Gap, Arrernte traditional owners accompanied by a small group of protesters carried a letter to the gates and delivered it senior police officers.

The document outlined their calls for their land to be returned and for their need to access sacred sites and rock art inside the facility.

It also demanded compensation for decades of occupation of the site.

Arrernte traditional owner Felicity Hayes told the crowd she wanted her land back, with her words met with resounding applause and cheers from the group.

"My country's a sacred place. It's a sacred place for me and my family and for everybody in Australia," she said.

The demonstration bookends a three-day gathering of activists and academics in Alice Springs designed to draw attention to the role of Pine Gap in global warfare.

The protest's organisers did not rule out returning again, and said they would be demonstrating against Australia's AUKUS agreement with the US in September.