Petition appeals for wilderness lake to be spare development

The campaign against development in the World Heritage Area continues with a petition, a crowd-funding campaign and another round of court action looming.

• Wilderness Society Tasmania launch national campaign to crowdfund fight against Malbena
• RiverFly operator Daniel Hackett’s lease at Skullbone Plains cancelled in “political” decision

A monster petition appealing to the federal environment Minister to back wilderness over development is in the mail.

More than 2000 people from around the nation signed the Wilderness Society’s letter opposing the proposal for a helicopter-serviced standing camp at Lake Malbena in the state’s central highlands.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley is assessing the development proposal under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act after a federal-court decision.

Public submissions will be considered as part of that assessment, although a date for their lodgement is yet to be announced.

Wilderness Society Tasmania campaign manager Tom Allen will deliver a HUGE letter, representing over 2300 people who signed a letter to AustraliaÕs Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, opposing the privatisation of Lake Malbena found inside Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Picture Chris Kidd

Wilderness Society campaign manager Tom Allen said the development had attracted the attention of not only Tasmanian people, but conservationists interstate.

“We’re posting a huge letter to Sussan Ley because Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area is huge, hugely important and this letter is on behalf of the huge number of people – over 2000 of them – who asked Minister Ley to respect Australia’s international World Heritage obligations when she assesses Wild Drake’s proposal to develop Lake Malbena,” he said.

The Wilderness Society, plus a range of other conservation, bushwalking and fishing groups are fighting a multi-pronged battle against the Lake Malbena development. It includes a crowd-funding campaign to pay for legal action.

Wilderness Society Tasmania campaign manager Tom Allen will deliver a HUGE letter, representing over 2300 people who signed a letter to AustraliaÕs Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, opposing the privatisation of Lake Malbena found inside Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Picture Chris Kidd

“We are absolutely blown away that over 2300 people signed on to this letter, and that we’ve raised about a third of our $60,000 target in a matter of days,” Mr Allen said.

“The Commonwealth Government hasn’t announced when public submissions will open for this new assessment but, when they do, it’s hard to see how Minister Ley can protect and respect World Heritage values without rejecting the Wild Drake proposal to develop and privatise Halls Island and the Lake Malbena area.”

A Tasmanian Supreme Court hearing into the development approval begins today. (Friday)

(L-R) Fishers and Walkers Against Helicopter Access Jane Berriman, Wilderness Society Craig Ling and Wilderness Society Tasmania campaign manager Tom Allen will deliver a HUGE letter, representing over 2300 people who signed a letter to AustraliaÕs Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, opposing the privatisation of Lake Malbena found inside Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Picture Chris Kidd

Follow @DavidJKillick