Echo Issue Outline: copyright Echo Education Services
First published in The Echo news digest and newspaper sources index.
Issue outline by J M McInerney

The Wilson's Promontory development controversy: should there be commercial developments in national parks?


In October, 1996, draft plans were released for a range of commercial developments in Wilson's Promontory National Park.
These proposals were actively supported by the Victorian government, but met with wide-ranging opposition from both the conservation movement and the community as a whole. Some 3200 submissions, almost all opposing the developments, were received by the government.
On January 17, 1997, the premier, Mr Jeff Kennett announced that some key elements of the plans would not go ahead. However, other elements in the plan are to be proceeded with.
Though some of the heat has been taken out of the dispute, it seems likely to continue.

Background
 Wilson's Promontory, on the south-east corner of Victoria, is the southernmost point on the mainland.
Wilson's promontory is unusual, in that it is one of only two Victorian national parks which have accommodation facilities within them.
Wilson's Promontory has an already-developed village at Tidal River, 30km into the national park.
The Tidal River village has 70 buildings. Included in this number are 17 new cabins, built during the current Victorian government's period in office.
There are also 480 campsites which, during summer, can accommodate more than 4000 people.
These facilities are supported by sealed roads, car parks, street lights and boat ramps.
The Tidal River site covers an area of 80 hectares. It is surrounded by 50,000 hectares of national park, most of which is undeveloped.
Under the proposals outlined in the draft management plan for Wilson's Promontory and the draft master plan for Tidal River, there would be:
Both the proposed lodges would be commercial operations. The three new huts would be for the sole use of commercial walking tours in the south of the park.
These proposals to allow commercial development at Wilson's Promontory have occurred at the same time as there has been a change in the structure of the National Parks Service of Victoria.
The National Parks Service was established in the 1950s. Its role was to assist the government preserve the lands gazetted as in its care.
Under the 1975 National Parks Act conservation of the natural environment is to take priority over exploiting any park to meet visitors' requirements.
Just before Christmas, 1995, it was announced that the National Parks Service of Victoria was to merge with Melbourne Parks and Waterways. The new group is now titled Parks Victoria.
There has been those who have suggested that the change in structure will result in less emphasis on conserving the wilderness values of the areas formerly in the charge of the National Parks Service.
The new chief executive of Parks Victoria has rejected claims that conservation priorities would be overridden by recreational and commercial objectives.
A brief history of Wilson's Promontory and the development of conservation organisations in Victoria.
The desire to protect Wilson's Promontory helped lead to the establishment of the National Parks Service of Victoria.
Wilson's Promontory was one of the world's first national parks. It was gazetted as a national park on July 8, 1898.
In 1904 the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria protested when it was claimed that the parks `reserved' status was not permanent and could be reversed by any government, making the promontory available for land sales and development.
In 1908 Wilson's Promontory's `reserved' status was made permanent.
However, a `reserved' area does not have the same security from development as one marked for `wilderness preservation'.
During World War II, the federal government commandeered Wilson's Promontory to use as a military training base. The current settlement at Tidal River was built around camps established while the area was used for military training. The military use of the Prom and the commandos' huts built at Tidal Rive were not made public until after the war.
There were protests which led to the formation of the Victorian National Parks Association, in 1952.
In 1956, the Victorian National Parks Association joined with the Australian Primary Producers Union in lobbying the Victorian Government to set up Victoria's first National Parks Authority. This authority later became the National Park Service of Victoria.

Arguments in favour of commercial developments at Wilson's Promontory.
 One of the major arguments offered in defence of plans to allow commercial development at Wilson's promontory is that such development will be handled carefully and will not damage the area.
It has been claimed that the new huts and any lodge built are likely to be in the style of the 17 new huts which have recently been located at Tidal River.
Mr Mark Stone, executive director of parks, flora and fauna of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has praised the new huts in these terms, `... the 17 new cabins recently opened give an indication of the sensitive design elements for a lodge.'
It has also been claimed that the draft management plan for Wilson's Promontory and the draft master plan for Tidal River indicate an overall sensitivity to environmental considerations.
Mr Stone has claimed that the new plans provide for increased emphasis on the protection of sensitive natural environments and native flora and fauna. He has emphasised that the plans call for the removal of 50 camping sites, which, he has claimed, would reduce the total number of people staying in the park during peak periods.
Mr Stone has also stressed that the plan calls for the removal of some works areas and staff quarters and the relocation of others to more appropriate sites.
Mr Stone has also claimed that as part of the new management plan energy-inefficient facilities will be replaced with environmentally friendly services.
Mr Stone has indicated that as part of the plan the water storage weir would be moved away from the river, and a fourth sewerage pond would be set up to achieve adequate standards of treatment during the summer.
Another major argument in favour of the commercial developments proposed for Wilson's promontory, is that they would make the area available to everyone.
This argument has been stressed by the Victorian premier, Mr Jeff Kennett.
`I think those that argue that they just want to keep it in a pristine condition so they can walk around in an area they like excludes others from having the opportunity to take on board what is one of the most beautiful spots in the world,' Mr Kennett has claimed.
According to this line of argument, additional tracks and a higher standard of accommodation are necessary so that Wilson's Promontory can be enjoyed by all comers.
It is argued that at the moment those who have a physical disability or who are elderly or unfit are largely precluded from enjoying the area.
It is also argued that those who would prefer more comfortable accommodation are unlikely to visit the area.
This position has been put by Mark Stone, who has claimed, `A catered lodge would allow people to enjoy the prom without carting all their provisions or driving an hour or more to accommodation outside the park. With this facility we can cater for the full spectrum of visitors to Tidal River.'
A third major argument offered in support of the developments is that they would not alter the purpose of the park. This position has also been put by Mark Stone.
Mr Stone has argued, `We are not changing the fundamental purpose or nature [of Wilson's Promontory National Park]. We are changing the type of accommodation to give year round access. Economically the end result will be a gain, not a loss.'
According to this line of argument, because there is already a significant level of development in the Tidal River area, the proposed developments would not be a distortion of the park's existing nature.
This position has been further expounded by Mr Mark Stone. `Tidal River has been "developed" since World War II when the huts that have been used by visitors were first erected to house commandos in training ... As such, it is wrong to think of the area as being wilderness.'
Finally, as Mr Stone has also argued, it has been claimed that it would met user demand and make better sense economically, to ensure that the park is more fully utilised all year round.
Mr Kennett has described the development as an opportunity for Victoria to use its `cool climate environment tastefully.' He has also claimed that it is necessary `to make better value sensitively of areas like Wilson's Promontory'.
Mr Stone has claimed, `Tourism industry surveys indicate increased demand and expectation on the part of travellers in most segments of the market. Such pressure cannot be wished away.
`The department is required to meet this challenge and the draft management and master plans are designed to do that and at the same time safeguard the core conservation values that are the common aims of the national parks system and its supporters.'
Mr Stone has summed up what he claims is the purpose of the proposed development in the following manner, `The outcome will be to spread visitation more evenly throughout the year, channel walkers into more interesting areas, provide users with facilities and services that meet their needs without compromising the environment.'

Arguments against commercial developments at Wilson's Promontory
 The principal argument offered against the commercial developments proposed for Wilson's Promontory is that they will damage the environment.
According to this line of argument, the perception that Wilson's Promontory is already developed and therefore unlikely to be damaged by further development is a misconception.
Supporters of no further development stress that most of the promontory is without development of any type. It is also noted that such development as has occurred in the Tidal River area originally took place during World War II, at a time of national emergency, when the processes which would normally have protected the area were overridden.
It is argued that commercial development will damage the environment in two ways.
Firstly, it is claimed, opening up new areas, such as is proposed with the additional walking tracks and huts would put pressure on fauna and flora.
Those who oppose commercial development emphasise the fragility of this environment and stress that it would lose its current character if it were made easily accessible.
One amateur naturalist, Mr Norrie Rossiter, who has been visiting the promontory for more than 60 years, discovered a new species of orchid, the leafy Greenwood in the area.
Mr Rossiter indicates that species could well be wiped out before discovery if commercial development proceeds. He claims, `Tidal River is already acres and acres of bitumen covering the rare plants.'
Secondly, it is claimed that even where what is being proposed is further development in an already developed area, such as the building of lodges in the Tidal River area, then damage is still likely to occur.
It is claimed that damage will occur because such developments will increase the number of people visiting the area and, as is proposed by the developments' advocates, make it more likely that the promontory will be visited all year round.
This pressure of numbers is likely to increase human impact on the natural environment, for example, in terms of sewage and other waste disposal.
The second major argument presented by those who oppose further development at Wilson's Promontory is that preserving the natural environment should take precedence over opening up the area for visitors.
Geoff Mosley, former director of the Australian Conservation Foundation, has claimed that the primary purpose of national parks `is to maintain the natural environment and its intrinsic natural beauty.'
Mr Mosley claims that making `protected areas available for human enjoyment' is a secondary aim and one which cannot occur at the expense of the first.
Mr Mosley argues, that human access to and use of protected areas should be as non-disruptive as possible and that the least intrusive means of gaining access should be favoured.
The 150-bed lodge was opposed by many because it was claimed it would have been a permanent facility and an intrusive one.
The third argument offered against commercial development at Wilson's Promontory is that the needs of those who currently cannot access the park either because of disabilities or disinclination should not be allowed to alter the nature of the park.
Mr Mosley argues that national parks occupy less than 5 per cent of Australia and that there are many other more suitable recreational opportunities for non-walkers in other areas.
Mr Mosley also argues that facilities for non-walkers, such as accommodation, can be located close to the park boundaries. (The argument that accommodation should be placed just outside the park, rather than within it, has been put by many of the opponents of commercial development at Wilson's Promontory.)
The fourth argument offered against the development is that once these facilities have been established they are likely to lead to demands for further facilities..
This argument has been put by Mr Doug Humann, the director of the Victorian National Parks Association.
Mr Humann has claimed, `The proposals ... will inevitably lead to still further demands for access and buildings and over-tax the Prom's already-stretched natural resources.'
The same argument has been put by Mr Mosley, who has claimed, `Park history has taught me ... that one development tends to lead to another and usually to one with a higher impact.
`Put in a track and sooner or later someone will want to build huts then chalets, then hotels and perhaps roads and airstrips.'
The final set of arguments offered against commercial developments at Wilson's Promontory are essentially economic.
Firstly it has been argued that a national park should not be put at risk for the economic advantage of a particular developer. Indeed the whole concept of commercial developments within national parks has been opposed because it has been claimed that commercial developers are likely to be less sensitive to environmental demands, and further that a resource which belongs to the whole state is being given over to one group for commercial exploitation.
It has also been argued on economic grounds that commercial developments within national parks are likely to disadvantage traders operating outside the parks who would formerly have received the custom of those travelling to the parks.
It has further been argued that it may make little economic sense to place commercial developments inside national parks as such development could well dissuade many people from coming to the parks.
This position has been put by economist, Francis Grey, who has argued that what `sells' national parks is the experience of remoteness. Thus, he claims, commercial developments within parks may well rob them of their principal appeal.
Finally it has been argued that it may not be economically worthwhile for commercial developers to place projects inside national parks. This is the reason Victorian premier, Jeff Kennett, gave for his government's decision to abandon plans to establish the 150-bed lodge at Wilson's Promontory. Mr Kennett considered that periods of bad weather could mean that the lodge would not attract sufficient visitors all year round to make it commercially viable.

Further implications
It seems very likely that the dispute surrounding commercial development at Wilson's Promontory is not over. Though the Victorian premier announced on January 17, 1997, that the 150-bed lodge at Tidal River would not go ahead, the 45-bed lodge will. Further, though two of the three proposed huts in the south of the promontory are to be scrapped, the third is toproceed, as will the walking tracks it is to serve.
Mr Doug Humann, director of the Victorian National Parks Association, has said, `We are still concerned at the remaining plans for commercial development, for the 45-bed privately built and operated lodge at Tidal River and commercial accommodation in the south and we will continue to oppose those plans.'
It also seems likely that opposition to commercial developments in national parks will not be restricted to Wilson's Promontory.
The Government has proposed a range of commercial developments in national parks, all of which are attracting opposition. Among the most contentious are proposals to build an information centre, a viewing platform, a 350-seat restaurant and parking for 300 cars and 12 buses on a site overlooking the Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell National Park on the Great Ocean Road, west of Melbourne.
There are also plans to extend the Great Ocean Road.
Also attracting concern is what has been criticised as the semi-privatisation of park services with private companies being used to supply holiday programs in a number of national parks. At the start of 1997, private operators were running holiday programs in parks along the Great Ocean Road, the Bellarine Peninsula, Mount Buffalo and the Alpine National Park.
There is room to be concerned both about the respect for conservation values such operators might display, and about the apparent increase in charges to the public availing themselves of these programs.
This development, together with the Victorian National Parks Service's amalgamation with Melbourne Parks ands Waterways has lead to apprehensions about the extent to which Parks Victoria supports conservation values.
Mr Doug Humann has claimed, `We've won on one of the fronts, but the battle continues, not only for the Prom, but for all Victorian parks. Victoria's national parks remain in crisis'

Sources
The Age
 27/11/96 page 15 comment by Geoff Mosley, `A park that should remain wild at heart'
30/11/96 page 3 news item by Gareth Boreham, `Kennett defends coastal plans'
2/12/96 page 4 news item by Victoria Gurvich, `Campaign launched to protect the Prom'
18/12/96 page 5 news item by Sian Watkins, `At 90, a prom battler heeds the call again'
27/12/96 page 15 comment by Mark Stone, `A positive development for the Prom'
30/12/96 page 1 news item by Sian Watkins, `Government gets towelling over Prom'
1/1/97 page 3 news item by Sian Watkins, `Parks not at risk, says chief'
1/1/97 page 10 cartoon by Wilcox, `This way, everyone gets a view of the National Park'
3/1/97 page 2 news item by Sian Watkins, `Survey shows ranger concern over new national parks body'
4/1/97 page 14 editorial, `The Prom in peril'
8/1/97 page 3 news item by Claire Miller, `National parks hive off activities'
8/1/97 page 3 news item by Tim Winkler, `Consultants warn of damage to the Prom'
15/1/97 page 11 comment by Libby Robin, `The Prom must be preserved for the past and the future'
18/1/97 page 1 news item by Shane Green, `Prom lodge scrapped'
18/1/97 page 4 news item by Rachel Buchanan, `A life-long passion for a beautiful place'
18/1/97 page 4 news item by Tim Winkler, `Good decision, say happy Prom campers'
18/1/97 page 4 news item by Tim Winkler, `A victory to rank with the greats'
18/1/97 page 28 editorial, `Protecting the Prom'

The Australian
 2/12/96 page 3 news item by Benjamin Haslem, `Green groups face showdown on 150-bed national park lodge'

The Herald Sun
 19/11/96 page 18 comment from Mark Stone and Doug Humann, `Should lodges be built at Wilson's Promontory?'
2/12/96 page 18 editorial, `Between devil and deep blue sea'
27/12/96 page 7 news item by Kristin Owen, `Greens fear park lodge extension'
27/12/96 pages 14 & 15 analysis by Kristin Owen, `Storms brewing at holiday spots'
5/1/97 page 16 news item by Russell Robinson, `Passions high over Prom'
7/1/97 page 10 news item by Kristin Owen, `Thousands respond to Prom plan'
10/1/97 page 21 news item by Jason Silverii, `Prom bid a $5m blow'
18/1/97 page 2 news item by Michelle Edmunds, `Prom plans dumped'
18/1/97 page 22 editorial, `A retreat from the Prom'

`We've won on one of the fronts, but the battle continues, not only for the Prom, but for all Victorian parks. Victoria's national parks remain in crisis'
Mr Doug Humann, director of the Victorian National Parks Association

`This is a bold step in conservation terms but one that demonstrates the department's commitment to sensitive and proper ecological management'
Mr Mark Stone, executive director of parks for the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, defending the Wilson's promontory management plan