Any new legislation must meet contemporary standards for the protection of Aboriginal heritage. We do not consider that the Draft Bill, in its current form, meets this bar. We are also concerned that there exists a lack of clarity regarding the ways in which the Draft Bill will operate with the regulations not yet released.
Instead of addressing and finding management solutions to present concerns arising from the increase in visitors to Maria Island, it seems that increasing visitor numbers even more, and upgrading infrastructure to support this increase, is the government’s priority. This includes supporting the introduction of a new, larger ferry later in 2026, pre-empting the majority public comment on the draft management plan which wanted numbers to be limited.
Opportunities for public comment on the PWS's 'Next Iconic Walk' proposal have or will comprise the EIS in late 2025, a Parliamentary Public Works Committee Inquiry in early 2026, a EPBC Act referral also in early 2026, and a West Coast Council development application in autumn 2026.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works are scrutinising PWS’s Next Iconic Walk project proposed for the Tyndall Range. There is plenty for them to consider. There are serious questions about the financial viability and overall prudence of proceeding with the project, especially given the state’s dire financial situation.
The Spero-Wanderer Wilderness is a 138,000 ha wild region south of Macquarie Harbour. This book, published in 2025, presents the compelling case for the addition of the Spero-Wanderer area to the adjacent Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
This special issue of TNPA News is primarily about wildfire in Tasmania, in particular western Tasmania. The included invited essays come from a range of perspectives reflecting the breadth and complexity of the issues.
The initial phase of a performance review of the 2016 TWWHA Management Plan was undertaken via an online survey. The TNPA responded noting that implementation of many aspects of the 2016 management plan has been inadequate or non-existent.
Tasmanians have already lost the right to appeal developments in national parks. Parks Minister Duigan’s statement on 18 September 2025 that the long running review of the Reserve Activity Assessment (RAA) process will not result in a new statutory process for the assessment of developments in national parks makes it clear that the government has no intention of reinstating appeal rights.
The TNPA is pleasantly surprised to find that the draft Maria Island National Park Management Plan leans towards retaining the current character of Maria Island and strongly supports this (including particularly the proposal to limit visitor numbers) but the prescriptions in the draft plan fall well short of what is required to retain the island’s character indefinitely.
Future Tasmanian governments should provide increased funding for national parks, public land management and conservation programs to protect the values of these areas, together with balanced tourism policies that protect the natural experience, prevent environmental harm, and avoid over-commercialisation of public lands.
