Premier and Parks Minister Will Hodgman must release the advice he and his department received from the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council, after it was revealed in Parliament that the Council had unequivocally recommended to the Federal Government that the Lake Malbena helicopter-accessed luxury accommodation development not progress, the Wilderness Society (TWS) said today.
NPWAC is the independent statutory body tasked with providing strategic advice to Government on reserve and World Heritage Area management.
The leaked advice was received as a formal NPWAC submission to the Federal Government’s consideration of the development proposal under federal environment law.
The NPWAC submission states:
“the proponent does not appear to address the fundamental concern that the proposal is for a development with several buildings, not a ‘standing camp’”
“(re helicopter access NPWAC) is concerned that without adequate consideration, precedents will be set that will degrade the World Heritage Values of the TWWHA”
“NPWAC does not support this project progressing at this time and reiterates that contentious projects such as this should not be considered until there is an agreed framework to guide assessment”
Despite this, the Federal Government last month determined that the development was “not a controlled action”, and could proceed without any further assessment under federal law.
The development has been progressed to ‘draft approval’ under a Parks and Wildlife state assessment process that did not involve community consultation.
“NPWAC offers expert advice to both governments, and it’s fair to assume Parks Minister Hodgman long ago received similar advice from NPWAC to put a stop to the project. The Premier must explain how his Government has approved this project through the secret EOI [Expression of Interest] process and the internal Parks assessment, against clear expert advice,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for TWS.
“In the interests of transparency and accountability, we join calls for any NPWAC advice on this project to be released.
“The World Heritage Committee has been calling for strict criteria for the assessment of new tourism developments in the TWWHA and a Tourism Master Plan since 2015, but somehow, this contentious project and its impacts on wilderness values and the experience of others is waved through against the Government’s own expert advice.
“Ignoring its own experts and the concerns raised in over 900 submissions calls into question the Government’s commitment to meeting Australia’s World Heritage obligations,” concluded Mr Bayley.
