Ms O'CONNOR - I took on board the answer given just then. Can we request Heritage Tasmania's advice to the Heritage Council on Reg Hall's hut at Halls Island at Lake Malbena?
Ms ARCHER - As part of an RTI, do you mean?
Ms O'CONNOR - No, in the previous answer from Ms Guerzoni we were told that Heritage Tasmania's advice to the council could be made available on request. I am actually talking about an open disclosure here to be able to see Heritage Tasmania's advice to the council of Reg Hall's hut. While we deal with that, given your relative surprise that Heritage Council meetings are closed, can we ask you to have a look at that?
Ms ARCHER - I can raise it with the chair of that council, Ms Torossi, on your behalf, that it has been a matter that is raised and get their views. As to any requests for information, it has to be done in the same manner, be directed to the chair. I encourage you - or I can do it through me - to ask that question. I am conscious of the fact that it is independent from me as the minister, but I am always happy to raise issues.
Ms O'CONNOR - Minister, are you able to provide any information to the committee on the advice that Heritage Tasmania provided to the Tasmanian Heritage Council on Reg Hall's hut at Halls Island, Lake Malbena?
Ms GUERZONI - Heritage Tasmania has started and done a large body of work for the assessment of a nomination received for the hut at Lake Malbena. It has not complete it yet so nothing has actually gone to the Heritage Council. The assessors were hoping to have a site visit to the island to understand exactly how much boundary was required around the hut. I am not aware that anything has gone to the Heritage Council.
Ms O'CONNOR - Thank you, Ms Guerzoni. So we are really clear, in order for the Heritage Council members to visit Halls Island, they will need to seek the permission of a private developer because it has been privatised?
Ms GUERZONI - Sorry, I meant to say we were hoping that one of the research officers of Heritage Tasmania could visit.
Ms O'CONNOR - Thank you. They will still need to seek permission from a private developer who has been given an island in the World Heritage Area.
Mr BAKER - As Ms O'Connor knows, the director can issue a permit for management purposes, which is what would happen.
Ms O'CONNOR - Back on the nomination for Reg Hall's hut. Dr David Young, who is a very significant heritage expert, submitted the nomination for Reg Hall's hut in March 2019. For a bit of historical context, the hut was built by Reg Hall in the 1950s and was freely used by anglers and bushwalkers until your Government privatised it.
Are you able to confirm that the nomination of Reg Hall's hut to go onto the Tasmanian Heritage Register has been accepted, because news reports from March last year when the nomination was made indicate that the developer had no knowledge of the nomination?
Ms ARCHER - Wasn't it initiated as an assessment? Didn't Ms Guerzoni clarify that?
Ms GUERZONI - I'm not exactly sure what you're after.
Ms O'CONNOR - A nomination has been made. It's been accepted by Heritage Tasmania and an assessment is underway. What is the likely time frame of that assessment?
Ms GUERZONI - I'll have to get back to you on that one. As I said, a lot of work has been finalised in terms of the history and the description of the site. The assessors were hoping to get on the ground because it is just the hut that is nominated, rather than the whole island.
Ms O'CONNOR - Yes, that's been given away to a private developer.
Ms GUERZONI - They want to know how much of an area around the hut is suitable for [inaudible] to protect the hut. That's what they were hoping to do on the ground.
I'll have to go back and check with the researchers what the next steps might be and what the time frame might be.
Ms O'CONNOR - All right, thank you, Ms Guerzoni.