Ms HOLLOWAY - Mine is just a fairly short concern, I think there are two main concerns I have. I have written it down because it is easier for me to say. My concerns over the decision to hand over areas of crown land to the Tasmanian Aboriginals are, firstly, that the decision by Mr Bacon was made without consultation with land owners affected by the handover and the Flinders Island community, of which the islands are a big part. There has been no information provided of these areas on land management and uses by Mr Bacon or the Aboriginal community or the wider Tasmanian Aboriginal organisation for people to understand any future changes that may occur. There was also no public input into the reconciliation process of this handover, which I feel is a must for people to be able to participate in reconciliation. I feel it was inappropriate of Mr Bacon to solely make a decision of the handover of land without involving the wider community on Flinders Island, informing them of facts and enabling them to voice any concerns.

Another area of concern of the proposed change is the lands involvement in the recent land planning review and rezoning of the Furneaux group. This process has been through heavy planning and consultation with the Flinders Island Council and communities, and I feel this decision has taken the credibility of this process. It would leave the Furneaux group with portions of land that would be excluded from any further land-use planning inclusion, and I feel all land should have the same value to everyone concerning these issues.

Mr WILKINSON - You've brought up what has been brought up a number of times today, Karen, and that is lack of consultation. Was it ever discussed with you prior to this bill coming before the House that the land that you are involved with was going to be transferred?

Ms HOLLOWAY - No. I was involved in the land rezoning last year, putting submissions in, and I would have felt that a greater area of land would be involved. The proposed rezoning for the Flinders area was from rural to open, and that would completely change any handover. I am aware that land that is handed over, my understanding is that it's completely separate and that is what I felt. There's a big push nowadays for land management and sustainability and future management, and I was unaware of anything that was given in contracts or understandings when the land was handed over. That's just my own personal opinion and that's what I'm involved in. I'm on the regional strategy committee for the Furneaux group, and it just feels funny having half of those islands within a management group and having plans and then identifying any areas that need to be looked after, and not having any known interaction with any organisation that is managing it.

CHAIRPERSON - So you're saying that you are part of a strategic group who went through an entire process, looked at the entire planning of the Furneaux group and at no stage at that time did anyone indicate that thousands of hectares would be extricated from that process.

Ms HOLLOWAY - The decision hasn't been handed down from those planning tribunals. that's actually within the government planning department at the moment, which I feel is a little bit silly to have one thing come in and overrule completely something that may affect it; to exclude certain islands that could have been identified as having different uses.

CHAIRPERSON - The areas of land transferred will still be under the local planning scheme, unless ALCT, as the title holders of the past or future title holders possibly, have put in any countermanding submissions. The review process will probably still tag those islands with the same direction that your strategic group looked at in that earlier process. My interpretation personally is that regardless of who the manager of the land is, they will still be covered by planning issues, by environmental laws, and so on. They're not going to be extricated from the system and would have to go through the same process if it's zoned rural and they want to change it to a tourism capacity. If that doesn't fit under your planning scheme, and so on, they would still have the same responsibility. But I take on board your point that 40 000 or 50 000 hectares, or something, you may have had a different interpretation as a strategic group if you had prior knowledge.

Ms HOLLOWAY - Yes. I felt there just wasn't the information out for people to actually understand what was happening, and little concerns like that - it was very sad.

CHAIRPERSON - Did the managers of the land that was transferred in 1995 - that is, in the Furneaux group - have any involvement in the strategic group that worked on this land planning review?

Ms HOLLOWAY - There were two land planning reviews: the one that was held by the council and the land-use planning committee, which was a government organisation - and anyone who was wishing to make submissions for that would be very welcome and you would have to get their draft transcripts to identify that - and on a local level with the Furneaux regional strategy, I don't believe there is any Aboriginal representative on that group. They were asked at that time, but there isn't one on the committee. But that can happen at any time, they can come and any member of the public can ask to come and have involvement.

Mrs SILVIA SMITH - Just looking a little bit further at that. It appears that once again your concerns are basically that there's been no consultation whatsoever in this.

Ms HOLLOWAY - If someone asked me what my opinion was on the handover, I couldn't give them a full understanding of it because I still don't know what the handing over of that land means to me who lives here.

Mrs SILVIA SMITH - Do you have any lease on any of the land that's proposed?

Ms HOLLOWAY - No, I don't, but I have heard how small communities have problems about, 'We won't be allowed to go on there with access leases, the land grant will be to high water', and things like that. How can you comment, because we don't know, we haven't seen it written down. I think people should be entitled to that, as it is crown land.

Mrs SILVIA SMITH - I think that's all I wanted.

CHAIRPERSON - Thank you, Karen, and thank you too for making yourself available earlier. We do appreciate that because we did have to reshuffle our program and it was appreciated that you could accommodate us. Thank you.
 
 
 
 

THE WITNESS WITHDREW.