Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for PARKS, Mr DUIGAN
Your question time brief on the review of the Tasmanian Wilderness and World Heritage Area Management Plan states that the government’s proposed approaches for targeted community consultation with stakeholders and partners that are directly involved or impacted by the plan, as well as using the Parks and Wildlife Service’s Have Your Say website for public input into the review – considering the review of the Maria Island Management Plan was due in 2023, so it is two years overdue and there is currently no evidence of the review on the NRE or PWS website – can you advise of the status of the consultation and the steps being taken to ensure your approach is compliant with the Australian World Heritage Area Management Principle requirements set out in schedule 5 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act? Why has the draft review of the Maria Island Management Plan been sitting on your desk for more than six months? This was a review that commenced almost four years ago. We are talking about a management plan that is over 25 years old.
ANSWER
Mr President, I will seek some advice.
I thank the member for the question. As many people in this place would be aware, Maria Island is a unique and complex environment which includes a World Heritage Area, remains one of Tasmania’s most loved national parks. Our government is committing to protecting this important landscape and ensuring that both visitors and locals alike continue to be able to access and enjoy the incredible experience the island provides. The draft Maria Island National Park Ille Des Phoques Nature Reserve Management plan is expected to be released soon. I do not make any apologies for making sure we get this important statutory document right. It is not only a management plan for a national park but, as you rightly identify, for a World Heritage area, and we are not going to rush the last stages of the drafting process. There are obviously important Aboriginal cultural values, and heritage specialists undertook consultation, and explored the Aboriginal values to inform the draft plan. PWS planning staff are project managing the project, and PWS heritage specialists are providing more detailed guidance for the management of historic heritage on the island, noting the listing of the World Heritage convict site.
This important document is undergoing final edits. Once those are complete, my office will review the final version and make a determination on the time frame for release for public comment. Importantly, the draft will undergo full and open public consultation. I encourage all interested parties and stakeholders to be part of that process.
The public can monitor the progress of the project via the Have Your Say page on the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service website. As I have stated, the department is attending to final edits of the draft prior to public consultation, and I can confirm, with gusto, that the draft is not sitting on my desk.
Ms O’Connor – I understand it has been sitting there for six months.
Mr DUIGAN – No.
