Page 177 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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that there are votes in beating up on people who have been incarcerated? People who have been incarcerated are serving their debt to society, but it does not mean they are easy punching-bags for people like the Liberal Party.
Mr Hanson: Mr Speaker—
MR SPEAKER: Sorry, Mr Hanson. You have already had two other supplementaries.
Mr Hanson: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: You have used them up. I took your previous question for having it put on notice as one—
Mr Hanson: It was a double-barrelled question, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: I call Ms Bresnan to ask a question without notice.
Namadgi national park—orienteering
MS BRESNAN: My question is to the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services and is in regard to the proposed large-scale orienteering event of up to 1,000 people to be held in Namadgi national park at Easter. Minister, what specific provisions have been put in place to ensure that there is no damage to the areas that will be used for car parking and for the running of the event itself?
MR STANHOPE: I thank Ms Bresnan for the question. Indeed, I am aware, through representations from the National Parks Association, of some concerns that the association read that Namadgi national park might be used for a national orienteering event that will be held there in a few weeks time. It is, at one level, a philosophical discussion on the appropriate use of our national park. It is an issue that was agitated, and agitated very seriously, through the extensive, long-term consultations on the development of a plan of management for Namadgi.
In that plan of management, at the end of the day, the position the government has adopted, which is reflected and has been reflected in the draft, is that Namadgi should be made available for a full range of pursuits and activities, that it should not be a reserve that should unilaterally be denied access to by people wishing to pursue massive participation events. I do think we need to look on a case-by-case basis at the nature of the activity.
There were representations made to the government that certain activities with above a certain population should be banned absolutely. That is not the position the government have taken and it is not the position the government believe is appropriate. We believe an event such as an orienteering event, conducted over a number of days, with each day’s activities conducted in a different area, is the sort of activity that is quite appropriately amenable to a national park and, indeed, to Namadgi. We are conscious of the need to ensure that there is no damage or hurt to the environmental values of Namadgi. That is why it holds such a special place in terms of our management and our attention.
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