Halls Island rezoned after tourism proposal received
A proposal for a luxury tourism venture within the Wilderness World Heritage Area partly led to that area being rezoned to allow for development, new documents show.
Tasmania
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A PROPOSAL for a luxury standing camp on an island within the Wilderness World Heritage Area partly led to that area being rezoned to allow for development, new documents reveal.
Emails released to the Mercury under Right to Information laws show the Tasmanian Government rezoned Halls Island in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park from “wilderness” to “self-reliant recreation” in 2016 specifically because it had received a proposal for the helicopter-accessed tourism development on the Lake Malbena site.
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Emails sent in late 2016 show the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment told its federal counterparts it had changed the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area management plan “to allow for development proposals submitted through ... [the State Government’s expressions of interest] process”.
All eco-tourism proposals that benefited from the TWWHA boundary changes — except for Halls Island — were redacted in the documents given to the Mercury. The State Government on Wednesday did not answer where else within the TWWHA had been rezoned.
An email sent last year from a DPIPWE staff member to employees within the department’s media team said the agency believed it was not appropriate to class Halls Island as wilderness because of a longstanding lease on the site and the presence of an existing historic hut.
“In addition, as the proposal had passed through the first stage of the [expressions of interest] process ... this was sufficient for the concept to be regarded as something that should be allowed for under the planning settings of the new TWWHA plan, noting that it would need to undergo an assessment,” the email said.
The Halls Island proposal was ultimately approved by the Federal Environment Department last year against the advice of national heritage and Aboriginal advisory bodies partly because the area was zoned “self-reliant recreation” rather than “wilderness”.
Halls Island proponent Daniel Hackett said the emails suggested the rezoning had received the tick of approval from then-federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg and was therefore “correct and appropriate”.
“To paraphrase Bob Brown, ‘wilderness and huts is a non-sequitur’; it is a contradiction to have wilderness, an existing hut, landscape modification and a long history of use occurring in the same location,” Mr Hackett said on Wednesday.
“The minor boundary modification obviously addressed this and recognised Halls Island for what it is.”
But Tasmanian Labor senator Anne Urquhart labelled the “circular process [of approval] ... comical”.
“The Commonwealth Government must urgently have a fresh look at the project and examine if actions are permissible within the wilderness zone,” Senator Urquart said.
The Wilderness Society, which is challenging the Federal Government’s process of approving the development next month in the Federal Court, called on Premier, Parks, Tourism and Heritage Minister Will Hodgman to pause assessments under way through the Liberals’ expressions of interest process until the TWWHA tourism master plan was complete.
The contract for that document was awarded in late December last year.
Wilderness Society acting state campaign manager Tom Allen said: “These emails confirm that the Government secretly changed the rules for managing World Heritage wilderness and that private commercial developments for vested interests are driving planning decisions, instead of the protection of natural and cultural heritage values.”
Tasmanian Greens Senator Nick McKim accused the Liberals of “putting profit over environment”.
“This is an outrageous abuse of the responsibility that governments have to look after one of the most precious wilderness areas in the world,” Senator McKim said.
MORE ON HALLS ISLAND:
NUMBER OF FLIGHTS FOR MALBENA TOURS REVEALED
BUREAUCRAT UNSURE OVER MALBENA FLIGHTS
WHY MINISTER APPROVED LAKE MALBENA
LAKE MALBENA PROJECT UNDER FIRE
LAKE MALBENA PROPOSAL SET FOR COURT BATTLE
A Government spokesman said the Co-ordinator General’s website had long displayed the “guiding principles” that parks and protected areas could be reclassified to allow for development.
“In inviting new and innovative ideas for sensible and appropriate developments in our National Parks, Reserves and Crown Land, the Government has stated that it may alter or amend relevant management plans if a proposal is able to demonstrate that it is an appropriate development for the site,” the spokesman said.
The Federal Environment Department did not respond to a request for comment.
The Central Highlands Council will next week vote on the Halls Island proposal — which would have four huts erected on Halls Island and up to 240 helicopter flights into the area each year.
The Mercury requested documents related to the rezoning of Halls Island in November last year, but received them this week after referring the delay to the state’s Ombudsman.
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