Tasmanian tourism wild about funding: ‘just as important as coral bleaching in the reef’

Tasmania’s tourist industry has demanded political parties commit to a massive boost to world heritage funding ahead of the federal election.

Rachel Power, owner of Waterfalls Cafe and Art Gallery, Mt Field National Park, Tasmania, says desperate parks infrastructure needs are “not pretty to talk about but ... are a really big problem”. Picture: Matthew Netwon

Leaders wanting picture opportunities at Tasmania’s natural wonders this federal election may have to pay handsomely for the privilege, with tourism chiefs demanding a massive boost to world heritage funding.

The island state’s $1.5bn tourism industry is seeking a commitment from both major parties to end “generations of under-investment” in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Peak group Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania has written to Labor and the Coalition urging a commitment to funding the TWWHA on par with the $60m federal cash given to Kakadu and Uluru each year.

Tourism operators say infrastructure upgrades are badly needed in national parks that drive regional economies across the marginal seats of Braddon and Lyons, as well as more firefighting capacity to tackle increasing wild fires. They say there is an urgent need for upgrades to everything from walking tracks to sewerage and parking.

“I think most Australians would be shocked to learn that the Australian government puts only $5m recurrent funding into management of the TWWHA,” said Luke Martin, council chief executive. “Look at the amount of funds going into the Great Barrier Reef and into the WHA areas in the Northern Territory. No one is questing that, but given the cultural and environmental significance of the TWWHA, the Australian government has a responsibility to contribute more.”

Mr Martin contrasted the Morrison government’s pledge of $1bn over the next decade for the Great Barrier Reef with the ongoing paucity of recurrent funds for the TWWHA, which includes tourism meccas Cradle Mountain, Macquarie Harbour, the Gordon River and Mount Field.

The issue was a marginal seat vote-changer, he said. “In some of our regional communities in (the marginal seats of) Lyons and in Braddon in particular, the TWWHA is a massive economic generator,” Mr Martin said.

“There is no tourism industry in western Tasmania, in Strahan, without the TWWHA. There’s no tourism industry on the northwest coast without Cradle and the TWWHA. In Lyons, the most important tourism asset in the Derwent Valley is Mount Field.”

Rachel Power, co-owner of Mount Field National Park’s Water­falls Cafe and Gallery and developer of a new accommo­dation and conference centre near the park, said the major drawcard needed multiple infrastructure upgrades.

“The park is pretty much at capacity,” she said. “We have four female toilets that are regularly full. Painting and general maintenance falls by the wayside. The entire visitor centre needs to be upgraded for electrical capacity.

“The sewage treatment is not so flash and was built for something like half the current visitation. The overflow car park is an oval that’s a popular family picnic area. These are not pretty things to talk about or flashy election promises, but if they fail, they are a really big problem.”

Tasmanian Liberal senator Jonno Duniam said he wanted to “work constructively” with the tourism council.

“The government’s election commitments will be announced in due course,” he said.