Halls Island in Lake Malbena today, your special place tomorrow.
To be clear, you could be sent to jail for visiting Halls Island. Public land inside the Walls of Jerusalem National Park in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. We are locked out for the next 20 years, minimum. Please share this on your social media and call for an end to this madness.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation ... EDNy8jfVDMAnger as heritage site closed to public
A private developer has been given the right to evict people from an island deep inside Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area, outraging fishermen and bushwalkers.By MATTHEW DENHOLM
"A private developer has been given the right to evict people from an island inside Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area and to install surveillance cameras, outraging fishermen and bushwalkers.
The Australian has obtained correspondence from the head of Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service confirming such rights are held by Wild Drake, which was controversially given an exclusive lease to develop a tourist project on Halls Island.
PWS general manager Jason Jacobi wrote to a fishers and walkers group on August 11, confirming Wild Drake could install cameras for any use without approval and could evict anyone visiting the island.
“As lessee, Wild Drake has the same rights and obligation as any citizen to manage its property in the land in accordance with the law,” Mr Jacobi said in response to questions about the company’s powers of eviction.Similarly, as the company — fronted by developers Daniel and Simone Hackett — had “exclusive possession” of the island, at Lake Malbena in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, it could “choose to use cameras (monitoring or otherwise) without PWS approval”.
The group that elicited the response from Mr Jacobi said it was “horrified” a private company had been granted such sweeping powers over a World Heritage Area and national park.
“It seems the developer has the right to evict us from a World Heritage Area, which we find a really frightening and astounding turn of events,” said Dan Broun of Fishers and Walkers Against Helicopter Access.
“The penalty of up to six months in jail or a $1680 fine for being in a national park and world heritage area, for ordinary bushwalkers, is abhorrent.”
Mr Hackett said people could apply to visit the island and claimed the cameras were used for environmental monitoring.
In late 2018, The Australian revealed the Hacketts had been granted a secret “exclusive possession” lease over the island. The proposal, currently tied up in Supreme Court legal action, has become a lightning rod for dissent at the state government’s policy of luring tourism projects to parks and wilderness areas.