The Greens welcome today’s news of a what appears to be a sensible new approach for managing the future of Freycinet National Park.
For years the Greens have stood beside many Tasmanians calling for the contentious Freycinet Master Plan Gateway Proposal to be shelved, and alternative, cheaper and more effective visitor management alternatives to be pursued.
Today is seems the Government has finally heard the community.
This comes off the back of more than 8 years campaigning, and many community meetings attended by hundreds of people, who have presented feasible alternative plans for Freycinet, and condemned the Gateway Proposal that was planned to be developed an extremely ecologically sensitive site, that should be added to the National Park in the future.
We welcome that those community driven alternative plans have been heard. Of course, the devil will be in the details as to whether genuine change will continue down the right track or if these grassroots ideas will be lost in the wilderness of budget saving measures.
The Rockliff Government’s sudden willingness to hear community feedback is also a welcome change of direction.
We call on the Liberals to ensure they continue to work in collaboration with locals and stakeholders on the next steps shaping Freycinet National Parks future.
Today’s redirection for the future of Freycinet is thanks to the years of advocacy from the Coles Bay and East Coast community, the Freycinet Action Network, and a myriad of devoted volunteers from ecologists to planners, who have helped shape an alternative vision for our beloved Park.
