16th Oct 2019, 4:20 PM – Senate Motions - National Parks - Accessibility

The majority voted against a motion introduced by South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) Australia's national parks are at risk of being privatised, to the exclusion of everyday Australians, against environmental interests, and in favour of high-end tourists for private profit,

(ii) a private corporation, The Australian Walking Company, is planning a luxury private development on fragile coastal sites in the wild and unspoilt parts of Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island in South Australia – South Australian taxpayers have foot a $830,000 bill for this project despite not being consulted,

(iii) the same private company has already developed parts of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, and other locations across Australia, including Uluru and Hinchinbrook Island, are under threat, and

(iv) the applications for these private developments lack transparency and proper scrutiny; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to honour the century-old Australian ethos that national parks should be for the people, and not for private 'high-end' resorts which exclude ordinary Australians and devalue prime park qualities.