The Tasmanian Greens Environment spokesperson and Member for Denison, Cassy O’Connor today said the Greens opposed any moves to strip the Wellington Park Trust of its current management powers.
“Kunanyi, or Mt Wellington, is a treasured public asset that needs to be properly managed,” Ms O’Connor said.
“Stripping away the veto powers of the Wellington Park Trust as the Hodgman Liberals propose would be an unnecessary move and a backward step.”
“Tasmania should not follow in the steps of the Newman Government in Queensland, where public and natural assets are put at risk because of greedy, politically motivated governance that fast-tracks inappropriate developments.”
“Development is crucial for the Tasmanian Tourism industry, but when developments happen without proper community consultation and a rigorous assessment process, it inevitably leads to big, enduring mistakes.”
“The Tasmanian Opposition should cease trying to undermine members of the Trust, including the Hobart City Council, Glenorchy City Council, the Parks and Wildlife Service, DPIWE and Tourism Tasmania.”
“They, collectively, manage our beautiful mountain park on behalf of all Tasmanians,” Ms O’Connor said.
Ms O’Connor today moved the following motion in the Tasmanian House of Assembly:
That this House:
1. Recognises yet again the beauty, appeal and natural wonder of Hobart’s own, kunanyi, Mount Wellington;
2. Acknowledges the important work of the Mount Wellington Park Management Trust, detailed in its Mission Statement to:
(a) preserve the natural, cultural, recreational, tourism and drinking water qualities of Wellington Park for their own value and for the safe enjoyment of all people.
3. And further notes the Trust’s statement that: “This will be achieved through outstanding management, sympathetic development and a co-operative relationship with our communities.
4. Notes with dismay the Tasmanian Liberals retrograde, undemocratic proposal to strip the veto power from the Wellington Park Trust;
5. Understands that the Shadow Planning Minister, Ms Elise Archer has made recent, entirely incorrect, public statements that no development on the Mountain had been approved by the Trust, and notes that The Springs development has been approved and is shovel ready;
6. Recognises that sustainable development is important for Tasmania’s tourism industry; development that has been through proper consultation with stakeholders and community and a rigorous assessment process;
7. Condemns the Tasmanian Opposition for their repeated attempts to undermine the Trust and its members, including the Hobart City Council, Glenorchy City Council, the Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Primary Industries Parks Water and the Environment, Tourism Tasmania and Tas Water, and its collective authority to manage the Mountain ; and
8. Rejects the Liberals’ implicit premise that Tasmania needs to follow in the steps of Newman Queensland, where public and natural assets are put at risk because of greedy, politically motivated and short-term governance that fast-tracks inappropriate development.
• Gwenda Sheridan, in Comments: Mount Wellington is an iconic mountain in Australia. Perhaps no other mountain has such a long established European history (with millennia of history prior to that) and the richest wealth of archive to exhibit how people perceived, saw, and loved the mountain. It stretches across colonial art, photography, scientific findings, detailed text stories, and a bottomless extent of literature. No other city in Australia and few in the world have a large bulky mountain sitting at their doorstep. One of my recommendations was that the entire mountain be placed on the National Heritage Register with a view towards it being considered for World Heritage Area status.
• Cassy O’Connor: Door open to inappropriate development on Kunanyi
• Luke Martin: Common Sense prevails on the Mountain
• The Western Observer, in Comments: As always Gwenda Sheridan brings her knowledge, expertise and experience to the discussion. Her work on the Mountain matches her earlier work on the Domain, the other twin to the Mountain, and demonstrates that the values of the uniqueness of 19th century Hobart are again being trashed by the McDonald’s “everyone should have one” concept. Whoever went to Istanbul, Venice, Rome, Paris to see a McDonald’s? People come to see Hobart on the Derwent. One of the great vistas.
