Page 4319 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 November 2005
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businesses or hiring outlets for recreational and camping gear should not be constructed within the Namadgi National Park, Canberra Nature Park and other nature reserves.
The association believes a database of organisations and companies, both commercial and non-commercial, that use the park and reserve system should be kept by ACT Parks and Conservation Service; that limits should be set to group sizes; and that codes of conduct should be provided and enforced. All organisations that charge fees for commercial services should be licensed to operate by ACT Parks and Conservation Service, and the conditions for obtaining the licence and renewing it should be based on complying with the code of conduct set to protect the natural and cultural heritage.
Any sponsorship arrangements should not provide for signage within the park. And, of course, it is very important that indigenous people with an interest in that area be involved in any arrangements that are made.
However, we weigh the concerns of these organisations against the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve business case and master plan, which was launched on 31 August last year by the Chief Minister. This plan shows that camping and accommodation should occur as soon as year one; that $500,000 needs to be spent on camp site preparation in year one; and that fees collected for camping would be much higher in revenue than that gained from special events and guided walking events. The document does not say when year one is, but I am assuming that it is 2005-06, given that the paper was published in 2004.
Page 96 of the plan states that no costs are allocated for the possible future construction of ecolodges, as these would be the responsibility of the private sector. Existing power and other facilities would be maintained for possible use by these buildings. Finally, page 102 outlines a number of sponsorship opportunities that could be pursued. But it does not say what sponsors would receive in return for their funding and one does not like to think of billboards all over Tidbinbilla.
My point is that there are some significant changes outlined in the business case and master plan that I believe the community will be concerned about. As you know, the Greens are extremely supportive of nature-based tourism, if it actually respects the nature that it is focused on, and I want to ensure that the ACT government does not make decisions without appropriate community consultation and that the decision it does make strikes an appropriate balance between conservation and visitor impacts, with conservation being the prime factor.
I am not yet sure from the limited information that the government has provided about camping, or indeed about developed accommodation, that it will strike the appropriate balance. I look forward to the government providing this information to the community in the near future and I hope to receive some assurance from the ACT government that it will not make a decision until it has fully considered the advice received from the public, interested community organisations and experts on these matters.
MR SPEAKER: The discussion is concluded.
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