The Greens welcome the Liberals’ support for keeping the public Defence land at Dowsing Point in public hands. But questions remain around other defence land sales and the deals the Premier has made on other public land at Wilkinsons Point.
The Greens have been calling for the land at Dowsing Point to be used in the public benefit and not sold to the highest bidder since its sale was announced by the Federal Government, and we welcome the Liberals doing the same. We hope to receive regular updates from the Liberal Government on their progress.
Other parcels of culturally and environmentally significant public Defence land earmarked to be sold should also be protected by the Liberals. We wrote to relevant Ministers for Housing, Planning, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Acting Minister for Parks, urging them to proactively be collaborative with the Federal Government to secure the best use of Defence land for future generations of Tasmanians.
While we warmly welcome Minister Archer’s indication in correspondence with the Greens that she is open to land returns at Fort Direction, Minister Ogilvie’s reply left it unclear if she was aware the land was even being divested.
The positive step forward at Dowsing Point also doesn’t cover up the fact the Premier ignored the advice of two government departments against the sale of public land at Wilkinsons Point. Tasmanians won’t buy the Liberals’ spin that any deals made at Wilkinsons Point were done to assist Dowsing Point development – especially when they were made prior to the Federal Government’s announcements.
The Premier needs to reassure Tasmanians how he will ensure the public will benefit from any use of the land at Wilkinsons Point, and inform the community of the current status of the sale. What financial promises has the Premier made to the developer, and how much has he signed Tasmanians up for? Will his commitments even benefit the public?
Wilkinsons Point is public land, and it should be used to the community’s benefit.
