Concerns making kunanyi/Mt Wellington a national park will lead to cable car, park entry fees
Turning kunanyi/Mt Wellington into a national park could lead to the imposition of entry fees and leave the mountain open to inappropriate commercial development, some observers fear.
Tasmania
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Turning kunanyi/Mt Wellington into a national park could lead to the imposition of entry fees and leave the mountain open to inappropriate commercial development, some observers fear.
Parks Minister Nick Duigan hasn’t ruled out the creation of a new national park, which would to place the mountain under state government control.
The Wellington Park Management Trust has looked after the mountain for the past 30 years, governed by an act of parliament and with funding from the state government and councils.
But the current arrangements are subject of a review announced by Business, Industry and Resources Minister Eric Abetz.
The state government passed the Cable Car Facilitation Act in 2017 to allow access to public land on the mountain and for a planning application to be lodged and assessed without landowner consent.
Mr Duigan was asked on Thursday whether the government was contemplating adding the mountain to the state’s suite of national parks.
“What we need to do is just take a pause … there are a number of issues, I think. facing Mount Wellington,” he said.
“Land tenure management is one of those things, transport is another thing, accessing the mountain on the road up the mountain, there are so many aspects.
“We know that people love to visit Mount Wellington – 450,000 people a year – so we know that there are people who want to visit it.
“What we need to do is I think come up with a more holistic look at the way we best manage the mountain.”
Some stakeholders have raised concerns about the prospect of entry fees and the potential for fast-tracked commercial development on the mountain should it become a national park.
Jimmy Cordwell from the Wilderness Society said the focus needed to be on protecting the mountain, not exploiting it.
“Wellington Park is home to incredible world-class wilderness that must be protected in perpetuity,” he said.
“Any conversation around the future management of kunanyi/Mt Wellington and this spectacular park must focus on the preservation of its iconic natural values and deep cultural significance.
“Honouring the rights and aspirations of Aboriginal Tasmanians, their stewardship of country, and the recommendations of the pathway to truth-telling and treaty must be front and centre.
“What is needed is for parliament to protect lutuwita/Tasmania’s native forests and world-class wilderness, including kunanyi/Mt Wellington – not feed any appetite to enable inappropriate development and destructive industries.”
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said her personal opinion was that a national park could be a good outcome of the process if it was well thought out.
“It’s been many decades since Tasmania has had a new national park,” she said.
“I think it’s probably timely if you’re going to do that, then why wouldn’t we choose one of the most beloved, natural places in the state?
“It is the most highly visited natural place in the state and therefore would deserve having stronger protections, more resourcing through the national parks pass funding that could be made available to it.
“A big thing would be whether it should be a jointly managed national park with the palawa community.
“That would be a really significant innovation in Tasmania that we haven’t really done much of before.”
Nick Sawyer from the Tasmanian National Parks Association said the emphasis on input to the review from the business sector was noteworthy.
“It makes you wonder how much concern they’ll have for the natural values of the mountain,” he said “Is the cable car still looming in the background?
Greens Member for Clark Vica Bayley said he was concerned.
“As strange as it might seem, making kunanyi a national park would make it more vulnerable to inappropriate development than it is now,” he said.
“The protections we have in place for the mountain aren’t perfect, but have done a good job of making sure a cable car isn’t built nor the pinnacle privatised.
“We need to look at this push in the context of the Liberals past 10 years carefully designing ways to facilitate development and privatisation within our national parks and World Heritage Area.”
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