News & Media Releases
Current or topical items related to our ongoing campaigns.
MEDIA RELEASE – Environment groups boycott tourism master plan consultation
Environment groups invited to be part of the public consultation to develop a tourism master plan for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area have announced their intention to boycott the process.
MEDIA RELEASE – Has the review of the RAA process for developments in national parks been abandoned?
A long-awaited review of the Reserve Activity Assessment Process, the internal government process by which developments in national parks and reserves are assessed, has stalled with no apparent progress for over a year.
MEDIA RELEASE – Attorney-General intervenes in Malbena Appeal
The Tasmanian Attorney-General, Elise Archer MP, has intervened in the Lake Malbena appeal to argue that the Land Use and Planning Approvals Act does not apply to reserved land covered by a management plan.
Defending Council’s Lake Malbena Decision
The Tasmanian National Parks Association and others have joined as parties to the appeal. We strongly believe that Council's decision to refuse a permit to this development should be upheld by the Tribunal.
Summary of the 2018-19 Tasmanian fire season
Over 200,000 ha was burnt this summer, including about 93,000 ha in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. A number of fire-sensitive areas have been seriously impacted or destroyed. Is this the new norm?
Lake Malbena Development Application rejected
The Development Application for helicopter-accessed tourist accommodation at Lake Malbena, in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, was rejected by 6 votes to 3 at the Central Highlands Council meeting on 26th February 2019.
Our Newsletter
Our newsletter is published twice a year. It aims to provide informative articles on issues related to national parks and other reserves, as well as updates on our activities and campaigns. Below are links to recent issues.
Newsletter No 27 – Spring 2018
Underlying most of the articles in this issue of TNPA News is the theme of the longstanding and ongoing struggle between those who strive to protect what is unique and special about Tasmania - its natural and cultural values and its way of life – and those who see in our wild places only opportunities for attaining personal wealth and/or power.
Newsletter No 26 – Autumn 2018
A theme that occurs in most of the articles in this issue of TNPA News is the pressure to ‘open up’ wild and undisturbed parts of Tasmania for so-called ecotourism developments.
Newsletter No 25 – Spring 2017
A theme common to a number of articles in this issue of TNPA News is that Tasmania is being ‘loved to death’. But maybe ‘love’ is not the appropriate word, ‘visited to death’ would be more apt, for ‘love’ implies care.
Reports & Submissions
We make formal and informal representations on a range of issues concerning national park and reserve management and also prepare periodic reports on related subjects. Below are links to some recent reports and submissions.
Waterfall Valley redevelopment 2019
Funded by a State government election promise, Waterfall Valley is the first of several overnight nodes on the Overland Track being redeveloped. The RAA documentation fails to encompass the full breadth of changes proposed or desirable for this iconic site.
Lake Malbena development proposal – background & summary
It's been quite a journey to a hearing at the Planning Appeal Tribunal. This is not just an appeal about a tourism development in a Tasmanian national park. We anticipate that the outcome will set a national precedent.
Revised Freycinet Master Plan 2019
The previous draft of the Freycinet Master Plan (2018) contained many issues of concern and the revised (2019) version remains completely tourism-focussed and unacceptable.
Summary of the 2018-19 Tasmanian fire season
Over 200,000 ha was burnt this summer, including about 93,000 ha in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. A number of fire-sensitive areas have been seriously impacted or destroyed. Is this the new norm?
Lake Malbena Development Application rejected
The Development Application for helicopter-accessed tourist accommodation at Lake Malbena, in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, was rejected by 6 votes to 3 at the Central Highlands Council meeting on 26th February 2019.
Lake Malbena – Development Application for tourist accommodation
Establishing that the proposed development of a helicopter-based luxury tourism development at Lake Malbena is “in accordance” with the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2016 is central to its assessment against the requirements of the Central Highlands Planning Scheme.
The Tasmanian National Parks Association offers an independent voice for Tasmania’s national parks and reserves, to ensure they are managed for the conservation of the values for which they were proclaimed.