The Tasmanian Greens’ in-principle support for the 3 Capes Track clearly shows the steady erosion of the party’s conservation values, and their failing credibility to govern with fiscal responsibility.
Regardless of whether there is or is not public support for the concept of the Tasman Peninsula Three Capes Track, pertinent questions have arisen to the State government’s premise and methodology in undertaking this controversial project.
Here is some background.
During the sale process of the Spirit of Tasmania 3, the premier at the time Paul Lennon was lobbied heavily by the Tasmanian tourism sector resulting in a $15 million promise for a future tourist development. At that time there was no conceptual idea for any tourism project and subsequently it took several years before the conviction of a high-end commercial based walking track located on the Tasman Peninsula was mooted as a new world class attraction for Tasmania.
From the outset Tourism Tasmania and the Tasmanian Parks and wildlife Service purported to model their 3 Capes project on the internationally renowned Milford Sound Track in Fiordland New Zealand. This was the State Labor Government’s first folly because not only was the Milford track set amidst some of the world’s most spectacular scenery, the Milford track also operates through segregated levels of public and private visitors.
This is unlike what is being proposed for the Three Capes Track where both users are congregated into the same village complex area. This immediately would have alerted any exclusive commercial operator to the fact that the visitor experience would be unworkable, and hence why as to date there have been no commercial expressions of interest.
Although the State Government and their departments have no experience in constructing and operating such a commercially-driven project, the state bureaucrats soldiered on in their myopic outlook supported by a highly-biased, unprofessional feasibility study, replete with exceptionally questionable economic estimations.
Prior to 2007 the project estimates began at $11 million. In 2007 completion costs guesstimates by 2013 were at $15 million. Over the following years the project estimates increased incrementally to $18 – $22 – $33 to the present $40 million respectively. It is now envisaged to have a completion date around 2015-16 and based on projected trends (as the costs blowout graph below depicts) costs will be approximately $62 million. That’s a huge slush fund for a project that simply is going to be economical and commercially unviable.
If you consider that there is currently no employed staff in the field by the Parks and Wildlife Service on this project that has any track construction experience, then it is explicable why the location and the methodology of the project has been a debacle from its inception. Already the Three Capes western extension has been abandoned due to its logistical, environmental and economic restrictions. The western section was a disjointed route, doomed from day one, which should have never been considered over the northern section between Waterfall Bay and Fortescue Bay that offers an abundance of scenic, logical and economic advantages.
As for the Government’s economic saviour for the Tasman Peninsula, it has failed the community with little local economic prosperity to the region. There are very few local people employed on this project. There are approximately 20 track workers, a helicopter operator, and a gravel and rock suppliers operating on the track.
There is probably more than double this number of bureaucrats and administrators working in Hobart full time on this project. It has been estimated that it will employ around 10 full-time positions to operate and maintain the 3 Capes Track and villages, of which most of those will be employed from within the Parks and Wildlife Service.
This is a far cry from ex-Minister Brian Wightman’s declaration around 2 years ago when it was reported that there were 1361 jobs to be created over the duration of construction. As for the economic prosperity of the Tasman Peninsula, any commercial activity will be most likely based on package tours that will see most of their clients spending little time in the greater region, and hence not contributing much to the local community.
3 Capes Costs – Blowout
The State Government’s greatest failure has been in its research. It should have based its model on the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria where much of the region’s impressive natural areas can be reached through a selection of diverse walks that encourage visitors to use local accommodation, which ultimately supports the local economy. Unfortunately this project has always been about providing boutique accommodation inside the National Park and not about providing the average tourist with a rich experience. The original design even proposed the ridiculous provision of spa baths.
The State government approvals within 3 Capes Management plan invariably exposed serious flaws in the process of the Labor government. The government permitted the same agency to design and construct all aspects of the proposal; they were given the authority to approve their own conditions. As a result the environmental and wilderness impacts are monumental, the track site location is wrong. Ultimately the government’s direction on this project is embarrassing to the point of being deemed as environmentally reckless and fiscally irresponsible.
No assessments into the impacts of the wilderness zones were addressed in the management plan.
No details of any village complexes have been documented in the management plan.
No village complex / human safety fire management plan has been documented in the management plan.
Essentially the 3 Capes Management Plan is 166 pages of waffle and deception, which was formulated to support the State Labor Government’s position of commercial development within the internal zones of a National Park. Considering the Liberal Party’s view towards development in our national parks we can expect the present State Government to continue funding of this project without variation or revision.
To date the Federal Government has given $12.5m towards the project as part of a job creation scheme. The State Government (supported by the Greens) has allocated a similar amount. This means they are more than $20 million short of their current estimates, which inevitably will be drawn from future State Government budgets at the cost of other public expenditure interests.
In the Greens’ attempt to show that they support tourism they have displayed some irrational conservation and fiscal ethics regarding the 3 Capes project.
When Nick McKim was Minister for Education he indicated that some Tasmanian public schools might have to be closed down. This may be due to the financial burdens of ill-conceived projects such as the 3 Capes.
Further, in my view, Cassie O’Connor’s support for such a development raises some serious questions about her environmental credibility considering there is virtually no difference between a commercial village inside Tasman National Park and a private development in Ralphs Bay Conservation Area. When it comes to conservation, no wonder the general public in Tasmania consistently see the Greens as a one-issue forestry-focused party.
This is clearly one State Government project that desperately needs to go back to the drawing board if not the scrapheap in its entirety.
NB: Greens leader Kim Booth was the only Green member in the past government to understand the financial and environmental ramifications of the 3 Capes project. Kim was also the only Green member to announce his opposition to this loopy tourism concept. This attests to why Tasmanians will witness Kim Booth resurrecting confidence in the Greens political future!
