A $2 million laser light show for tourists in Central Australia has caused a storm of controversy, after being criticised by environmentalists and local Aboriginal people.

Parrtjima: A Festival In Light has been billed as Australia’s biggest light installation, using light and sound on a scale never seen before.

The 10-day light festival is promoted as “a celebration of Central Australia’s rich Aboriginal culture” and involves projecting images on a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the iconic West MacDonnell Ranges.

The festival site map. Photo: parrtjimaaustralia.com.au

But zoologist and local wildlife guide Mark Carter said the stretch of the MacDonnell Ranges being targeted by the show’s laser beams was inhabited by the federally protected black-flanked or black-footed rock wallaby.

Animals could abort foetuses

Mr Carter said the lasers would cause distress to the animal, which would be active in grooming, feeding, mating and rearing their young during the times of the light shows operation.

He said the lights could cause the animals to abort foetuses and eject joeys from their pouch.

“This is part of an area that’s been nominated for world heritage status and its a refuge for lots of wildlife including a vulnerable species which are supposed to be protected, like the black-footed rock wallaby.”

“They’re very vulnerable to impacts on their home range, they’re nocturnal so their eyesight of course is very sensitive and I believe there’s no evidence that you can shine lasers or any sort of high intensity light in their face and it to be safe for them.”

Peregrine Falcons are among the nesting birds of prey said to be endangered. Photo: AAP/Mary Evans/Ardea/M.Watson

Mr Carter said the region was also a nesting area for birds of prey like peregrine falcons.

He said event organisers did not exercise due diligence when planning the event, and called for people to boycott it.

RSPCA Australia has also weighed in to the debate.

A spokesperson for the group said they wanted to see hard evidence the welfare of birds and animals in the area had been properly considered.

NT Major Events general manager Andrew Hopper, whose company organised the show, said all necessary steps had been taken to ensure local animals were not impacted.

He said the show’s laser beam technology was safe and did not use pinpoint or hot-beam lasers.

“The reality is the testing has shown that the impact of the laser on the MacDonnell Ranges themselves is quite a large spread so it’s not a concentrated beam,” he said.

‘They must get the story right’

Senior Indigenous custodian of Alice Springs Doris Stuart also criticised the event, saying the local Arrernte stories sacred to the Alice Springs region had been ignored.

“I told them from the start that they must get the story right,” Ms Stuart said.

“That’s the most important thing when you’re messing around with sacred sites that are everything to the people who belong to the country.”

But Mr Hopper said they have consulted widely with a number of Indigenous groups and traditional owners of the land, and had chosen a variety of dreamtime stories to illustrate in light.

– ABC