The Tasmanian Government has made the decision not to proceed with the submission of a Public Environment Report to re-open three tracks in the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area (APCA) that were closed by the Labor-Green Government in 2012.
We recognise the importance of recreational off-road vehicle access to the Tasmanian community and will continue to work to develop further opportunities on the West Coast.
In consultation with stakeholders, we will invest $10 million into a program which will provide new and improved recreational driving opportunities across the West Coast, such as improvements to existing tracks at Sandy Cape, the Balfour Track as well as other key recreational vehicle routes and facilities.
The Liberal Government has worked hard to re-open tracks 501, 503 and 601 to recreational vehicles since 2014, with a plan that we believed would allow access while protecting the Aboriginal cultural heritage values in the area.
The assessment of this plan required the Government to submit a Public Environment Report to the Australian Government.
In preparation for the Public Environment Report, the Government received a cultural heritage report in relation to the three tracks which indicated that there is an unacceptable risk to Aboriginal cultural heritage, with no feasible mitigation measures to protect the values.
The Government’s priority has always been the need to protect the significant cultural and natural values within the APCA, while allowing Tasmanians to fish, camp, recreate and holiday within the landscape.
These activities will continue for generations to come, however, off-road vehicle use will not be permitted on tracks 501, 503 and 601.
We will now undertake a feasibility study into the identification of off-road vehicle opportunities on Tasmania’s West Coast and will consider the relevance of existing planning documents in relation to the APCA and the Western Tasmania Aboriginal Cultural Landscape (WTACL) to determine if a review of those documents is warranted.
The Government will also commit to increasing the management and enforcement of regulations in the APCA with an increase to the resourcing of the Parks and Wildlife Service at Arthur River, as well as undertaking a review of the legislative tools available to PWS staff to deal with behaviour which poses a risk to the area's values.
More information about the APCA can be found on the DPIPWE website: https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/about-the-department/arthur-pieman-tracks