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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2167 ..

MS HORODNY (continuing):

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. We knew that the Parks and Conservation Service was struggling, on its existing budget, to meet demands placed upon it for conserving the ACT's natural environment and that there was a need for an increase in its funding. We also recognised that making Tidbinbilla more attractive to visitors, if it is done the right way, could lead to more people becoming aware of the beauty and importance of our local environment and the need to protect it.

We did, however, have a number of concerns about the proposal. In principle, we do not support full user pays for Canberra's parks, because they are a public asset. We all own them, we all pay for them through our taxes, and administratively it would be difficult to collect fees at most of our parks. However, Tidbinbilla is a special case because it was set up primarily as a wildlife reserve with the construction of a series of animal enclosures to allow visitors to experience a range of native wildlife at close range. This involved considerable set-up costs and involves considerable ongoing costs in maintaining the enclosures, caring for the enclosed wildlife and providing interpretation and educational services that would not normally be incurred in other parks. It therefore seems reasonable that visitors to Tidbinbilla pay directly for some of these costs.

It is also the case that some 20 per cent of the visitors to Tidbinbilla are interstate tourists. It is not the case, as Mr Corbell said, that 87 per cent are locals. It is actually 80 per cent. That is clearly spelt out in the document. At present 20 per cent of tourists, those from interstate, are paying none of the costs of maintaining the reserve. The ACT cannot afford not to have these people contribute to the ACT economy.

We therefore supported the entry fees on a conditional basis, with the guarantees and provisions which the Government said they would meet. The conditions were that the Government will not establish entry fees in any other parks in the ACT; local residents will be able to buy a yearly pass at a discounted fee; all the money collected from the fees will be returned to Tidbinbilla to finance enhancements to the reserve; the revenue raised will be additional to, and not replace, the existing budget allocation for park management; and the revenue-raising potential of Tidbinbilla will not be allowed to override the primary nature conservation objectives of the reserve.

Mr Corbell put out a media release saying that we were being hypocritical on this issue because last year in the Assembly, in the debate on nature-based tourism in the ACT, I said that the Greens were opposed to park entry fees. Unfortunately, Mr Corbell took my statement out of context.

Mr Corbell: Of course!

MS HORODNY: You should have read the whole document, Mr Corbell. Our position on entry fees has been consistent.

MR SPEAKER: Order! It being 45 minutes after the commencement of Assembly business, the debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 77.

Motion (by Mr Berry) agreed to:

That the time allotted to Assembly business be extended by 30 minutes.

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