Luxury camp inside Walls of Jerusalem WHA with heli access

[bushwalker zane]

He works as a private huts guide yeah? (ps. nice writings)

He does, yep.

[Richard W]

For anyone following this story, the RMPAT decision was due yesterday, but has been extended to September 30.

[Lophophaps]

TNPA advises:
"We had hoped to bring you an update on the Lake Malbena situation about now but the decision of the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal (RMPAT) has been postponed until 30 September due to ‘the complexity of this appeal and the existing workload of the Chairperson’. Further slippage of the scheduled announcement date would not be surprising. As soon as possible after the decision is announced we will distribute a Buttongrass Bulletin dedicated to summarising the RMPAT decision and its implications."

[bushwalker zane]

From TNPA

"The Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal has, with the consent of all parties, extended the deadline for its decision on the Lake Malbena planning appeal from 30 September 2019 to 21 October 2019."

[bogholesbuckethats]

Rumour has it the appeal has been successful and the development can proceed. I will post an update once more info has been made available.

from RMPAT

Important Notice regarding the Lake Malbena decision
The Tribunal has sent its determination with respect to appeal 20/19P (Halls Island, Lake Malbena, Walls of Jerusalem National Park) to the parties to this appeal at 4:15pm on 21 October 2019.

As a courtesy to the parties to the proceedings, to allow them an opportunity to consider the determination, the Tribunal Registry will make the decision available to the general public and media at 8:45am Tuesday, 22 October 2019. The parties to the proceedings are at liberty to distribute the decision before then if they so choose.

https://www.examiner.com.au/story/64502 ... nal/?cs=12

expect to see more later tonight or tomorrow

[myrtlegirl]

From The Mercury this evening:

THE proponents of a tourism development at Lake Malbena say they have received notification that the project can proceed, after they appealed against a Central Highlands Council determination to reject it.

Daniel and Simone Hackett appealed against the council’s decision to knock back their plans for a helicopter-accessed standing camp on Halls Island, on Lake Malbena, which is in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

The council rejected the project against the advice of its planner and despite previous state and federal government approvals.

The Hacketts said they had received a decision today from the Resource Management and Planning Appeals Tribunal.

The decision has not yet been publicly released.


“Simone and I welcome the successful appeal decision from Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal, again confirming that the Lake Malbena project is compliant with local planning scheme provisions,” Mr Hackett said in a statement.

“We are proud of what we have achieved, designing a small-scale, sensitive proposal that has passed the highest levels of scientific scrutiny ever applied to an Australia tourism project.”

Mr Hackett said the project could be delivered without significant impacts on other users or the environment.

Environment, Parks and Heritage Minister Peter Gutwein said the Government welcomed the tribunal’s decision.


“[The decision] enables the development to proceed and is a positive endorsement of the Government’s Expressions of Interest initiative,” Mr Gutwein said.

He said the Government would review the tribunal’s full findings.


The proposal is for up to 240 flights carrying tourists into the Walls of Jerusalem National Park over 60 days each year.

He said there would be no commercial operations for 240 days a year, and no helicopter use for more than 305 days a year.

“With a development application now approved, we look forward to quickly moving on with the project and delivering a small-scale, high-value project that protects and celebrates an amazing Tasmanian story: the birthplace of the Walls of Jerusalem National Park.”

Central Highlands Council received 1344 submissions lobbying against the Hacketts’ application.

Tribunal hearings occurred earlier this year and included parties defending the decision, including the council, the Wilderness Society Tasmania and Tasmanian National Parks Association.

le sigh.....

[dee_legg]

Le sigh indeed.

[lefroy]

Of course it becomes a face saving exercise for our corrupt government, disgusting...

[Lophophaps]

See this from TNPA
https://tnpa.org.au/lake-malbena-decision/

[peregrinator]

Where is this happening? The Walls of Hades De-Nationalised Park?

[bushwalker zane]

... Far out

[Son of a Beach]

It's a sad day for Tasmania when building a hotel in a World Heritage (formerly) "wilderness" area is approved. So sad for our society. So frightening for what this means for the rest of our national parks. If it can happen on Halls Island, how can it be stopped from happening anywhere in a Tasmanian "national park"?

Very upset here!

[bogholesbuckethats]

Stay positive, this fight is far from over.

Media Release from FAWAHA

MEDIA RELEASE - FISHERS AND WALKERS - Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal decision

FAWAHA expresses great disappointment at the decision handed down by the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal decision.

This is a decision that has sadly rubber stamped a corrupt and secretive EOI process albeit temporarily. The Hall’s island development was only possible because a popular community endorsed management plan was changed behind closed doors. This development and any like it have no social licence and the government/developers have known this for a long time, yet have pushed on to satisfy their own greedy parasitic relationship with the TWWHA. To take and destroy not only from the wilderness values of the area, but the experience of all other stakeholders in the process.

But this is not the end, we will continue to fight and undertake direct action in response to the development. Developments have been approved and stopped before. These developments will be extremely unpopular with many anglers across Tasmania, in fact the vast majority. The World Fly Fishing championships are coming up and this is not an ideal situation to have, where anglers are at heated odds with the state government over its direction towards private developments within the Western lakes Wilderness fishery, our public land.

We will distribute bumper stickers, look at options to boycott various events and continue to hold more demonstrations opposing the development. We must remember the secretive and corrupt process that has allowed this development to happen and remind the State government at the next election exactly what we think of their EOI process.

It’s not over until the first chopper lands and we won’t give up.

And we have one last message for any other private developers who may have their sights set on flying helicopters into the western lakes or further privatising public land, we will be ready to fight and you will be extremely unpopular with the recreational fishing community!

More to come soon, Keep the Western Lakes Wild!!

[bogholesbuckethats]

Here is the RMPAT document

[gatesy]

Found this on the Facebook. I won't be there, looks more like an information session on the decision for those against the tribunal decision.

[gatesy]

https://www.facebook.com/events/539271386891637/?ti=as
Link to event

[Paul]

As BogHoleBuckets said- “it’s not over till the first helicopter lands” “ We won’t give up”

Well I reckon when the first paying customers arrive by helicopter, that is when we will show our biggest opposition to D H.
And I also reckon we will be showing our opposition to D H, to the world, when the World Fly Fishing Championships are held here - letting all the world know how corrupt our current State Government is - and then later we will have the opportunity to see that our current Government ( The Liberals ) are sent to the Backbenches.

Paul

[johnrs]

Yes BHB
Its time to go really hard,
and don't forget the Maria Island walk proprietor has the inside running with his proposal for the South Coast Track
John

[weetbix456]

Very disappointing but still plenty of opportunities to sink this ship along with the rest of the other EOI's within TWWHA trash!! If it comes to it - we could propose a prolonged tag-out camp in demonstration on or around the island to make our disgust vocally known (poo-tubes should keep us in the clear - other ways to minimise an impact during this process?). The product won't last long...and at least that way they will be held accountable to all their disillusioned eco-sensitive claims. Even if the island ends up in private hands - there is nothing to stop us being in the surrounding area. Besides it's not technically "wilderness" anymore

[lefroy]

Had the same thought weetbix, a roster of walkers and fishers to camp out over the season to show Hackett that it's not a private playland at all. Indeed it could be quite the opposite...

[Lophophaps]

Care is needed not to breach the conservation-aligned objections to the development. For example, there was mention of eagles and Aboriginal sites. Monitoring to ensure that the PWS and WHA requirements are followed is another option. If there are enough complaints then there could be political fallout. This is especially the case with the fishing lobby and international reputation. A campaign to avoid Tasmania due to flawed conservation values by the government will hit. Social media may be a way. Maybe wait for TWS, EDO, TNPA and other like entities to formulate a strategy.

As far as I'm concerned, subject to law, anything goes. To modify Harvey Logan in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid:
"Rules? In a battle for wilderness? No rules."
Just after this Sundance throws dirt in Harvey's eyes, kicks him in the groin and knock him out.

[bogholesbuckethats]

Liberals defend the secrecy around its Expressions of Interest process, saying proposals will stay secret until they are approved
People should trust the Government with its Expressions of Interest process despite the secrecy applied to submissions, the Environment Minister says.

DAVID KILLICK, Political Editor, Mercury
Subscriber only
|
October 24, 2019 8:06am

ALL details of a fresh tranche oftourism projects proposed for public land will remain secret until they have been approved by the Government, Environment, Parks and Heritage Minister Peter Gutwein says.

The Government said the projects being assessed under its controversial Expressions of Interest process would deliver $100 million in investment and 250 jobs in national parks, reserves and crown land around the state.

But those claims cannot be scrutinised because of a veil of secrecy.

About 30 proposals have already been approved, including new private huts on the South Coast, Overland, Walls of Jerusalem and Frenchmans Cap tracks plus the controversial proposal for Lake Malbena approved by RMPAT this week.

Mr Gutwein has previously described the process as “an open and transparent framework” but on Wednesday said the proposals being considered in round two of the process will be kept secret until they are approved — to protect the intellectual property of the proponents.

That round opened in December 2016 and has no end date.

The terms and conditions of any of the secret negotiations for leases and licences will also be kept secret forever because they are regarded by the Government as being commercial-in-confidence, preventing anyone from knowing how much is being paid for access to public land and for how long the licences operate.

And they are exempt from the provisions of the state’s Right to Information Act.

“The EOI process allows some projects to come through the door and then obviously we assess them and determine whether or not we want to proceed to lease and license stage,” he said.

“Should we assess a project and determine that it will move to lease and license stage, then it will be made public.”

Mr Gutwein said the projects needed to be kept secret so other people couldn’t steal the best ideas.

“We’ve put in place a process that enables ideas to be brought forward and for those ideas and the intellectual property to be protected, it enables the State Government to assess them through a very robust process.

“The intellectual property needs to be protected and until we’ve worked through that process and we’re at a point where we’ve determined that it meets the very strict standards that we set there is no point in releasing that information.”

Mr Gutwein said the EOI process was better than not having a process at all, as was previously the case with unsolicited proposals for public land.

[Nuts]

Hogwash, facilitating the pinching of ideas from others is All they have achieved!! whether it's from the walking public pioneering areas or simply by copying the itineraries of long standing operators. Besides, in this case the thieves would have to apply through the EOI process whereby the minister can extend this new-found intention of fair play.

[Markus]

G'day weetbix456 & Lefroy I had thought the same thing......should it come to it then consider me in.

[peregrinator]

After reading the article in The Mercury that BHB posted, I’m wondering whether the autocratic drivel dished up by the [anti] Environment, [anti] Parks and [anti] Heritage Minister is reason enough for other-staters to choose to boycott Tasmania as a travel destination until there is a change in government in that state.

Might it be worth mounting some form of public response along those lines?

[johnrs]

Folks
Here are some links to the campaigners,
we need you to join us. pens money and feet please!
Fishers and Walkers aganst helicopter access https://www.facebook.com/FAWAHATas/
Tasmanian National Parks Association https://www.facebook.com/TasmanianNatio ... sociation/
And our legal team the Tasmanian Environmental defenders office https://www.facebook.com/EDOTasmania/
These are all Facebbook paes but search the organisation names to find their websites
Thanks
John

[Wherever I may roam]

https://psnews.com.au/2019/10/28/nation ... ten-track/

[Chris]

I'm confused. Surely the flow chart is not extracted from the book??!!!

[stepbystep]

Remember tonight 30/10. Malbena information session at Wild Island in Hobart.

[lefroy]

Would it be possible for someone to record the session? I have prior engagements but would love to hear what is discussed?
I imagine it would be good for interstate walkers to hear first hand what is happening in TAS to make more informed choices on the industries they support when visiting.