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More lies from Parks Victoria

Save Grampians Climbing reveal more lies from Parks Victoria about the impacts of rock climbers in the Grampians. Documents reveal Parks Victoria are unable to tell the difference between climbing chalk and natural white rock and bird poo stains.

Could Parks Victoria mistake natural white rock & bird poo for climbing chalk in their rush to ban climbing? Yes they could. What you are about to read is one of those big moments where the ineptitude of the PV’s assessment process of rock climbing areas is exposed for what it is. A flawed and amateur attempt to quite literally white-wash climbers in the worst possible light whilst shirking any responsibility. Think the “bolt in art” fiasco was bad? This is better.

Read more at the link below...

THE SANDINISTA SCANDAL – WHITE LIES FROM PV
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More climbing bans in Victoria

The Australian today reports on more senseless bans to rock climbing areas in Victoria. The bans are destroying a once healthy outdoor industry and will spread to other activities and other areas in Victoria (think skiing, 4wd, bushwalking and camping). The embrace of stone-age belief systems by government agencies is indeed sending us back to the stone age.

Visit https://savegrampiansclimbing.org/ to lend your support.

Climb-ban bureaucrats in Victoria keen to extend their reach
JOHN FERGUSON

The late autumn Wimmera sun bouncing off Mount Arapiles acts as an illusion for Australia’s rock-climbing community. Lost in the sharp light is the gloomy recognition among many that the Victorian government is in the advanced stages of killing off a once-thriving industry in a battle over access, cultural heritage and the environment. As the world has been focused on the pandemic, Parks Victoria has been quietly accelerating its curbs on climbing in the heartland of the pursuit in Australia. Aust…
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Re-open the climb

Re-open the climb!
"We know that when the Rock climb closed we had 10000 less people through the airport per month."

Dave Batic Chairman of the Alice Springs Major Business Group, in Alice Springs interviewed by Stewart Brash on ABC Alice Springs 11 May 2020.

Here's the audio at Soundcloud

Some excerpts:

Stewart Brash: Are there any short term strategies we should be adopting to try and induce more people to come here?

Dave Batic: There's discussion about reopening the Rock climb.

later

Dave Batic: We know that when the Rock climb closed we had 10000 less people through the airport per month.





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Closing the Rock and the problems of progressive paternalism

Closing the Rock and the problems of progressive paternalism

Mark Powell has a short piece up in The Spectator. You can register free to read it, screenshot below:






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‘Closing Uluru climb was a mistake’, says ex-ranger

In today's Weekend Australian:

‘Closing Uluru climb was a mistake’, says ex-ranger (Ed Truth comes out!)
Mr Elliot said rather than explore that, bureaucrats chose to manipulate the rock’s Aboriginal owners toward closing the climb, so they could remove their liability for its poor safety record while blaming someone else.
By Amos Aikman
It was a decision that captivated the nation and brought thousands of people to the Red Centre for their final chance to climb Australia’s most iconic rock. And now the man who oversaw much of that says it was wrong.

Greg Elliot, until recently the head ranger at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, personally supervised some of the last days of climbing. He shepherded scores of domestic and international visit­ors through the gates to march nose-to-tail to the top.

Mr Elliot worked in the park for seven years, two as head ranger, before retiring and leaving this week. He looks back on the World Heritage Listed landmark’s most controversial episode sinc…
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2020-2030 Management plan comments

My comments on the 2020 - 2030 management plan are outlined below, make sure you make Parks Australia and the Board aware that you do not support the ban on access to the world's finest desert views. For details on how to submit see this earlier POST.

Draft 2020 - 2030 Management Plan
General Comments and recommendations 1. Plan breaches section 17-2 of lease agreement The Draft plan breaches section 17-2 of the lease agreement. Section 17-2 reads: “The Leasee covenants that the flora, fauna, cultural heritage and natural environment of the park shall be preserved, managed and maintained according to the best comparable management practices established for National Parks anywhere in the world or where no comparable practices exist, to the highest standards practicable.” The draft plan fails to provide, in fact deliberately diminishes the history of the Park by moving non-Anangu history to an appendix and omitting important aspects of the park's history. In doing so it fails to pr…
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Mad Ban on climbing a rock drives away the tourists

Seems the predictable slide in tourist interest has started...

Read the rest HERE
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2020-2030 Management plan open to comment

The new management plan for 202-2030 is now open for comment. Make sure your thoughts about climbing not only Ayers Rock but also Mt Olga are heard.

A draft management plan for Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is now open for public comment. This is the sixth Management Plan and will guide management of the park for a period of ten years after it is finalised. A copy of the draft plan is attached, as well as available online at:
www.environment.gov.au/resource/Uluru-Kata-Tjuta-draft-management-plan To ensure comments are clear and concise, please: ·list comments in order, and number them according to the relevant sections (e.g. prescriptions or actions) they relate to ·state whether you agree or disagree with statement(s) made in this draft plan and give your reasons ·if you disagree with a statement in this draft plan, suggest alternatives ·include any other matters you wish to raise that are relevant to the park but not covered in this draft plan. Please send any comments on the draft in writi…
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Smash the Cairn: The goons of Uluru

The goons of Uluru

When you smash the small things, big things follow.

 Section 17-2 of the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park lease agreement "covenants that the flora, fauna, cultural heritage and natural environment of the park shall be preserved, managed and maintained according to the best comparable management practices established for National Parks anywhere in the world or where no comparable practices exist, to the highest standards practicable." 

I have always contended that the Ayers Rock Summit Climb and its associated infrastructure are items of important cultural heritage, protected by the lease and the 1987 World Heritage Agreement. Parks Australia has breached the lease and its obligations under the World Heritage agreement by banning the climb and destroying the summit monument, chain and memorial plaques.  Through some Orwellian doublespeak Parks Australia contends that its actions are legal. For want of a seven-figure sum of money, their warped interpretation …
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Topsy Turvy land...access down, prices UP

According to the ABC Parks Australia are increasing the entry fee at Ayers Rock by 52%! This despite 90% of the park now being inaccessible to tourists and a major reduction in the cost of management due to less Ranger time required to monitor our iconic climb.

Uluru entry prices to rise as Parks Australia flags new fees with tourism operators
The cost of entering Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park could rise by up to 52 per cent under proposed changes from Parks Australia.
Just one week after the Uluru climb permanently closed, Parks Australia has informed tourism operators new park fees will come into effect from November 1, 2020.
We are left to wonder with the Climb closed....Why would anyone now bother going?
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