The Lake Malbena saga, involving a proposal by Wild Drake Pty Ltd for helicopter-accessed visitor accommodation at Halls Island, Lake Malbena, in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, commenced in 2016. It has involved appeals to the Tasmanian planning tribunal and the Supreme Court (twice), all summarised here.

The most recent Supreme Court decision ruled in our favour and referred the matter back to the Tasmanian planning tribunal for redetermination. However, Wild Drake withdrew its appeal to the tribunal in December 2021, but is still seeking consent to the proposed development under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act. Approval from both State and Commonwealth is required for the proposal to proceed so the proponent may make another attempt to obtain State approval. This raises the possibility of further campaigning and the possibility of further (expensive) legal challenge. Your donation will help us to meet these costs and to protect Tasmania’s National Parks.

We are pursuing this matter not only for Lake Malbena but also because it has major implications for the many other intrusive tourism developments currently being considered for Tasmania’s national parks under the State government’s secretive Expressions of Interest process.