The Commonwealth has joined the Tasmanian Government’s appeal against a ruling to keep four-wheel-drive tracks in the state’s Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area closed.
The Federal Court ruling from March could have implications for how areas with Indigenous heritage values are managed across the country.
The court ruled the controversial tracks should remain closed after the Tasmania Aboriginal Centre (TAC) contested a State Government plan to allow drivers back into the area.
The ruling found reopening the tracks risked damage to areas of Indigenous significance, including middens.
Today, the Commonwealth and State governments appeared before the full bench of the Federal Court in Hobart to begin the appeal.
The ruling found the value to Aboriginal people lay in entire landscapes rather than specific sites.
Claire Bookless, a solicitor with the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) representing the TAC, said that approach could change the way heritage areas were managed because it potentially broadened what should be protected.
