Halls Island Lease Extended Despite Proponent Missing Every Target

There is an explicit condition of the lease that the proponent, Wild Drake, must have made all the necessary referrals, provided all plans, and reports by the designated deadline which was 31 March, 2025.

There is no evidence the proponent has made any serious attempt to progress the outstanding ‘thorough aboriginal cultural heritage assessment’ which was requested by the Federal Environment department back in November 2023.

As if this disregard of sacred aboriginal land wasn’t insulting enough, Minister Duigan has now revised the exclusive lease twice while the proponent’s company has been in a court ordered liquidation.

Not to mention the many thousands of dollars the proponent racked up in overdue lease payments to Parks over the years.

The Liberals’ careless yet enduring endorsement of this wilderness degrading proposal is making a mockery of the system and certainly isn’t providing the tourism sector confidence, or credibility for those operating appropriately in our national parks.

This saga should have ended years ago, there have been countless irrefutable lease breaches by Wild Drake but incompetent minister after incompetent minister has failed to pay attention to public sentiment.

The Aboriginal community, the bushwalking and fly-fishing communities and all right-minded Tasmanians are sick of being ignored.

The Greens call on Minister Duigan to justify the latest renewal to the Lake Malbena lease by tabling in Parliament evidence Wild Drake is undertaking the required EPBC cultural heritage assessment, and who is doing that crucial work.

If the Minister can’t reasonably and transparently demonstrate to Tasmanians and the aboriginal community that he has exercised due diligence in leasing public land, he hasn’t adhered to his basic responsibilities as Minister.