Park Alliance Plan Welcomed

Illawarra Mercury

Thursday July 12, 2007

By SARAH ALLELY

KILLALEA State Park Trust chair Ed Gilmore has welcomed the Federal Government's plan to promote public private partnerships in national and state parks.

Community concern about State and Federal Government plans for public land to become more economically viable has grown in the context of plans for a private resort development at Killalea.

Killalea will be the first NSW State Park to be leased to a private company for development, after legislation was changed in 2005 to allow the plan to proceed.

On April 30, Lands Minister Tony Kelly signed an agreement to lease three parcels of land for 52 years to Killalea Coastal Investments, a joint venture between Mariner Financial and Babcock & Brown.

It allows 202 residential lodges, swimming pools, tennis courts, restaurants and a conference centre.

Federal Minister for Tourism Fran Bailey announced this week a plan to promote private sector investment in national parks, including tourism, accommodation and services such as walkways and lookouts.

The National Tourism Partnerships Action Plan was developed by an industry think-tank, the Tourism and Transport Forum, and funded by the Federal Government.

"This recognises the logic of our current plans for ecotourism at Killalea," Mr Gilmore said.

He said the Killalea trust had a responsibility to ensure the park was ecologically and economically sustainable and could be enjoyed by a wide cross-section of the community.

Mr Gilmore said The Farm beach was not accessible for families and people with disabilities so development was needed.

Protests outside Department of Lands offices across the state are planned for next week, including Wollongong, where the National Parks Association, Wilderness Society and the Total Environment Centre will be joined by the Save Killalea Alliance. The environmental groups say the Government had failed to meet its obligation to protect biodiversity.

Department spokesman John McClymont said no part of Killalea would be sold to private interests.

© 2007 Illawarra Mercury

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