Please stop climbing Uluru

Dear Adam Giles,

Uluru is entwined in Aboriginal culture, it belongs to the traditional owners the Anangu people and is said to have been formed during the dreamtime. It holds great cultural significance and is a sacred place. For Anangu this isn't just a rock, it's a living place. Tjukurpa and the marks of the creation beings are everywhere.

Despite the signs surrounding Uluru expressing the Anangu peoples wish not to make the climb, it has not been banned and is still available to climb to this day.

Signage- That's a really important sacred thing that you are climbing… You shouldn't climb. It's not the real thing about this place. The real thing is listening to everything. And maybe that makes you a bit sad. But anyway that's what we have to say. We are obliged by Tjukurpa to say. And all the tourists will brighten up and say, 'Oh I see. This is the right way. This is the thing that's right. This is the proper way: no climbing.

It is deeply hurtful and disrespectful to aboriginal people to make the climb and it should be stopped.

Apart from the cultural significance, the climb is also eroding and damaging the rock. As Uluru is World Heritage listed, in accordance to UNESCO, it is supposed to be preserved and protected, yet with each climb the rock is further damaged.

To make matters worse there are no toilet facilities on Uluru. With the climb taking 2+ hours to complete without these facilities it has been found from testing rainwater from the rock that people are actually urinating/defacating on the rock. To speak quite frankly and to put this into context, that is like someone desecrating St Anthony's Cathedral, Italy.

The climb is made by less then 20% of tourists, recent surveys conducted suggested only 2% would be deterred from the tourist attraction if they could not climb Uluru.

Please help us protect Uluru - a national interest, the red centre - heart of Australia should be treated with care and respect. The Anangu people and Aboriginal people should be treated with care and respect. Please be proactive.

No one wants another sorry.