The full RTI document is available here: https://nre.tas.gov.au/Documents/RTI%20065%20-%202021-22%20%28Stage%201%29.pdf.
Media release – Tasmanian Wilderness Guides Association (TWGA), 15 July 2022
TWGA response to the Lake Rodway RTI release
The Tasmanian Wilderness Guides Association (TWGA) was pleased to see the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) has closely scrutinised the Tasmanian Walking Company’s (TWC) plans for the Lake Rodway/Cradle Mountain Base Camp Experience. We note that PWS deemed potential impacts of this proposal on wilderness values, including the ‘undeveloped’ quality of Lake Rodway, as well as the social impact on other users of the national park as ‘unacceptable’.
Said TWGA Vice President Jill Lyall, “This is the level of scrutiny we expect all private tourism developments in our national parks to come under. We wish that PWS had cast the same critical eye over Wild Drake’s proposal for Lake Malbena when it came to things like the loss of wilderness values, the impact of helicopters, what sort of visitor accommodation is allowable, and what constitutes genuine stakeholder engagement. This inconsistency damages public trust in government processes and leaves the nature tourism industry unsure of government standards.”
TWGA was disappointed to read PWS’s comments about TWC’s approach to stakeholder engagement. TWGA was one of the organisations approached by TWC in 2020 to provide feedback on its proposal.
Said Jill Lyall, “Our members provided feedback to TWC in good faith. We believed the issues and concerns we raised would be taken on board by TWC and addressed in their revised proposal. Sadly, from the documents released under Right to Information, it does not look like this was the case. This just strengthens our call for a statutory assessment and approval process that includes transparency and genuine community consultation; an independent, expert-driven assessment process; and fair treatment of all tour operators.”
We note that PWS told us it would be holding public consultations on the Tasmanian Government’s proposed reforms to the Reserve Activity Assessment process in April to May 2022, and yet we are still to hear word of when these consultations will commence.
