Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader and Parks spokesperson
The Liberals’ efforts to privatize Halls Island will not wash with local fly fishers and bushwalkers, whatever the proponent Daniel Hackett decides about public access.
Mr Hackett is making public statements about who may or may not be allowed to access Halls Island, over which he has been given two secret, exclusive leases as part of the Liberals’ corrupted Expressions of Interest (EOI) process for development inside protected areas.
Tasmanians are still in the dark about the details of the exclusive arrangements gifted to Mr Hackett for his fly in, fly out exclusive development on Halls Island at Lake Malbena inside the Walls of Jerusalem National Park.
This place is a public protected area and these leases must be made public.
It is simply perverse that a private operator is being empowered to decide who may or may not visit a public protected area which has been enjoyed by fly fishers and bushwalkers for generations.
This is a form of theft. Open public access is being denied to Halls Island except for the few that Mr Hackett may ‘graciously’ allow on to the island.
The Parks Minister and Premier, Will Hodgman, is overseeing this theft of public land for private profit and exclusive use.
Premier Hodgman needs to explain why a private proponent has been gifted two exclusive leases over Halls Island that remain secret, and why it is Tasmanian bushwalkers and anglers will be denied access to a unique wilderness which they have enjoyed freely for generations.