Refusal may end in Tiers

Aboriginal Land Council wants park ownership

THE Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (ALCT) has lashed the state government for ignoring its call for an Aboriginal-owned national park to be established in the Great Western Tiers.

The group’s comments come after Parks Minister Jacquie Petrusma announced last week that 2850ha of Future Potential Production Forest Land (FPPFL) in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area would be reserved and incorporated into the existing Mole Creek Karst National Park, while another 22,550ha of FPPF land is set to be formally reserved as either conservation area or regional reserve. The changes are subject to the approval of both houses of parliament.

ALCT manager Rebecca Digney said that the organisation had written to Premier Peter Gutwein in March, proposing a new Aboriginalowned and managed national park in the kooparoona niara/ Great Western Tiers area, situated in the northern part of the Central Highlands, but was yet to receive a response. “Logic, fairness and justice would suggest a return to Aboriginal ownership should be prioritised and we have proposed an iconic new Aboriginal-owned national park, but instead, government looks set to disappoint and deliver the lowest common denominator, low-grade reserves,” she said.

Ms Digney questioned why the government had “squandered” an opportunity to return land to the Aboriginal community after the Premier said that he would consider proposals for land handbacks earlier this year.

“With last week’s announcement and a complete lack of response to our claim for a kooparoona niara national park, it is difficult not to be cynical about grandiose government claims that it cares for the aspirations of the Aboriginal community,” she said.

Ms Petrusma said the government’s commitments in relation to land returns and joint land management would be “addressed through separate processes”.

The government undertook a consultation process earlier this year to gauge public sentiment regarding the proposed reserve classification of FPPF land.

There were a total of 60 inscope submissions received, and 97 per cent of these were supportive of all the FPPF land in question being reserved as a national park. Despite the overwhelming response, the government opted against taking this course. Ms Petrusma said the parcels of FPPF land had been “assessed according to their values and the neighbouring land tenure” in line with the Nature Conservation Act.

“As many of these areas display evidence of past land use practices, reserving the remaining areas of FPPF land as either conservation area or regional reserve is consistent with the requirements of the (act) and the management objectives for the TWWHA, and will ensure these areas are appropriately protected,” Ms Petrusma said.