It’s deeply concerning news the Public Works Committee has approved the proposed walk in the Tyndalls. The environment and state budget will both be worse off if this walk proceeds.
It’s astonishing the Public Works Committee did not require an updated business case for the proposed Tyndalls walk before signing off on the project. The proposed walk’s budget will be based on the business case from 2021, despite rising construction costs and redesign of some of the track and the huts.
When the Three Capes Track was constructed, costs escalated from $12 million to over more than $30 million. The community is right to fear the Tyndalls will be the same, costing Tasmanians even more than the proposed $40 million in the middle of a budget crisis.
The Liberals need to now name the price tag the public can expect for undertaking the walk. If the 2021 business case stands, that places an enormous near $300 price tag for a tent site, and $500-$600 for a bunk bed in a hut.
This is public land being locked up for the exclusive few who can afford to participate. It will lock out Tasmanians and irreversibly alter the wild Tyndalls.
The Tyndall region is home to an extraordinary landscape of sub alpine flora endemic to Tasmania. It has Outstanding Universal Values and should be protected as part of the Wilderness World Heritage Area, not eroded for luxury tourism.
Given neither the State or Federal Government have the understanding of the damage they are proposing, this fight now goes international. We will be seeking a meeting with the IUCN, ICOMOS and World Heritage Committee as a matter of urgency.
