Page 3663 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 2010
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Fire is addressed in the plan. Fire management of the park aims to integrate fire protection, water supply and conservation objectives and to create a mosaic of areas across the park with differing fire histories, vegetation ages and fuel loads. Details are set out in the regional fire management plans, which have been prepared under the framework of the strategic bushfire management plan for the ACT.
Recreational use of the park is one of the key management issues extensively addressed in chapter 8. The plan commits the land managers, the Department of Territory and Municipal Services, to preparing a policy document to guide the assessment of applications for events within the park. This will cover events of different types and sizes and will take into account the need to protect natural and cultural heritage values.
There has been substantial consultation in the development of the Namadgi national park plan of management. The Department of Territory and Municipal Services has released a discussion paper, held numerous workshops and meetings and liaised with neighbours and other key stakeholders, including the Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee.
A draft plan was released for public comment in 2005. The draft plan was referred to the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment in 2008, and the government’s response to the committee recommendations was tabled in the Assembly on 6 May this year. The government agreed to a majority of the committee’s 22 recommendations and these have been incorporated into the plan.
Four of the committee’s recommendations related to the Interim Namadgi Advisory Board, which had previously operated to provide advice on issues associated with the park. The government agreed with the committee’s recommendations that the future role of board be finalised, and the government has committed to holding a meeting with former members of the board to discuss the creation of a permanent board of management for the park. This meeting will follow individual discussions with signatories of the 2001 Agreement between the territory and the ACT native title claimants.
As a disallowable instrument, the Namadgi national park plan of management does not come into effect until late September 2010, as the Planning and Development Act requires a disallowance period of six sitting days after presentation to the Assembly. However, in order that members of the public have access to plan, I have asked that it be made available on the Department of Territory and Municipal Services website from today.
Printed copies of the plan will be widely distributed, including through ACT government shopfronts, libraries and from the Namadgi and Tidbinbilla visitor centres. Every effort will be made to provide a copy of the final plan to all of those individuals and organisations that provided comment on the draft plan of management.
ACT residents are privileged to have Namadgi national park providing a wonderful scenic backdrop for the national capital and are privileged to have access to such a
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