Media Releases - 15 September 2021

Victory in Supreme Court is Victory for Everyone Fighting to Keep Lutruwita/Tasmania’s World Heritage Wilderness Public & Protected.

  • Vindication for thousands of people across lutruwita / Tasmania and the rest of the country fighting to keep national parks and World Heritage public and protected.

  • Tasmania’s Supreme Court vindicates appeal by Wilderness Society & other parties

  • Decision refers Lake Malbena proposal back to planning tribunal

Tasmanian Supreme Court has today overturned a decision to grant a permit for a controversial helicopter-accessed tourism project in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

“Today is a victory for everyone fighting to keep lutruwita’s (Tasmania’s) World Heritage wilderness public, protected and thriving,” said Tom Allen for the Wilderness Society Tasmania.

“The decision by lutruwita’s (Tasmania’s) Supreme Court is a vindication of our long-running fight to protect the world’s highest-rated World Heritage wilderness.

“Something as globally-significant as lutruwita’s (Tasmania’s) World Heritage area should never be privatised so that the few can profit from the exclusion of the many. This is what today’s victory is all about.

“We want to see a thriving tourism industry alongside thriving, protected and public nature reserves.

“We will respond more fully in due course to today’s decision,” said Mr Allen.

Today’s Full Court of the Tasmanian Supreme Court has ordered that the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal reconsider its decision in December 2019 to issue a planning permit for the Wild Drake Pty Ltd luxury tourism proposal. The Court ordered the Respondents to pay the Appellants costs of the appeal.

The matter will now return to the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal to remake its decision about whether a planning permit should be issued for the development.

For further comment Tom Allen 0434 614 323