On Friday night Tasmania’s tourism industry again scooped the pool at the national tourism awards, with the Three Capes Track the latest star.
This was a fantastic result, especially for the dedicated, hard-working staff at Parks and the contractors involved in bringing this project to life.
As the success of the Three Capes Track demonstrates, the tourism market in Australia is very competitive and we need to provide new attractions to stay at the head of the pack.
We are committed to protecting our pristine natural assets and at the same time see the value of unlocking tourism opportunities in our parks in a careful and considered way.
The Mt Wellington Cableway Company’s proposed cable car has the potential to bring significant investment to the state and create new jobs both during construction and once operational.
Following an independent assessment by an Advisory Committee of the Tasmanian Development Board, the Coordinator-General recommended to Government that the Mt Wellington Cable Car project is a viable business proposition.
The Hodgman Government will now take the next steps to progress the cable car project.
The project hasn’t progressed because of an inability to address land consent issues with the Hobart City Council.
After careful consideration, the Government has decided to prepare new laws to acquire the public land on kunanyi/Mt Wellington necessary for the project to proceed.
The Government will retain control and ownership of the land, the new laws will simply allow a cable car proponent to obtain the consent necessary to have the project proceed through the planning process.
These new laws will provide the certainty needed for the Mt Wellington Cableway Company to progress its proposal.
The Government will release the draft laws for public comment shortly.
I want to be clear, the Government will not be providing any financial contribution to the project and the Mt Wellington Cableway Company will need to secure its own finance for the proposal and enter into agreements with any private land-owners as required.
The project will still need to attain all planning and other approvals including complying with the regulations that protect our natural environment, heritage and Aboriginal cultural values.
There will also be opportunities for the public to have their say if and when the proponent submits its proposal for planning approval.